


WWYDI?

by Watermelonsmellinfellon



Category: Naruto
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Harem, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Multi, Non-Canon Relationship, Reverse Harem, Self-Insert, Sick Character, Underage Kissing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-23 06:28:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 96,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2537636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Watermelonsmellinfellon/pseuds/Watermelonsmellinfellon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What Would You Do If...you woke up in the body of your younger self, but you were really fat? What if you found out that you were somehow in the Naruto world? Well Tamar thinks that she's dreaming, so she decides to play the part when she learns of where she is. But her 'part', soon becomes her life. </p><p>A/N:Reverse Harem. If it's OK for Naruto to have harems, my girl can have one too! A semi-self-insert fic. Like, me and two other people in one person.</p><p>ON HIATUS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Believable Dream

**Author's Note:**

> It is actually possible for a human to have all these problems at once. My mother has every one but Leukemia, she was only hit by 2 cars and she isn't going blind so fast. Other than that, the health issues are all true. I stress this, Tamar thinks she's dreaming.

**A/N: Hello, people! Welcome to What Would You Do If? or WWYDI?**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

_What Would You Do If...you woke up in the body of your younger self, but you were really fat? What if you found out that you were somehow in the Naruto world? Well Tamar thinks that she's dreaming, so she decides to play the part when she learns of where she is. But her 'part', soon becomes her life._

Tamar groggily sat up, rubbing her head slowly. She couldn't recall what had happened. Hadn't she been in the Library? Why was she in bed, when she should be studying for her end of the year exams?!

She moved to the side of the bed and immediately noticed that her feet weren't touching the floor like they should be. She looked down at her legs which were sticking straight out so she could inspect them, and she screamed in horror before throwing herself back on the bed. Her legs were small and extremely pudgy!

Was this some sort of fucked up dream? She  _had-had_ her fair share of them before. It would explain everything so far.

She rolled herself off the bed, briefly noting that she wasn't in pain. For the first time in four years, there was no pain! It was amazing, even if it  _was_ a dream.

She looked around and waddled over to the wall length mirror she spotted near the door.

Her reflection was horrendous! She looked like a huge blue ball! A fucking blueberry! Shortness was not a good coupling to fat. Not at all. Short and fat with small pudgy arms and legs. The hair was black, like her own was and it also reached to the hips. It was held back in a low ponytail. The skin was also pale, just like hers was. Eyes were a dark, black actually and there were two long strips of hair on either side of her head that reached her collarbone. So, she pretty much looked like a really fat version of her younger self.  _Great_.

She was able to conclude, that this body was exceedingly obese due to lack of proper nutrition, such as fruit and vegetables. No exercise ever, it seemed. No sunlight either. An excessive pig as well.

Why did she have to dream herself into such a disgusting form? Every dream she ever had, she had the body she always wanted. The one she used to have. This one, was just  _gross_.

Sure, she herself was obese, but even she wasn't as big as the body she was currently stuck in, in this odd dream.

Tamar was once a monster at sports. Cheer captain and fitness freak. She was healthy and loved every minute of her life. And then she was hit by a car. And another. And another. All on the same spot on the same leg too. All within a two-year span. What shitty luck she had.

If that wasn't bad enough, the last hit had permanently fucked up her walking and she could no longer run. That meant no practice. No cartwheels, walkovers, scorpions, arabesques and other such stunts. Her days as a flyer were done. No more sports and long jogs in the morning. She was forced to walk with a cane and ride around stores in those embarrassing as hell motorized carts.

And it got worse from there! There she was, a seventeen year old girl, deprived of the very things in her life that made her happy.

That winter, she slid on a black sheet of ice and broke the very leg that had been hit three times already. This aggravated an unknown blood clot in the very same leg, which led to the revelations of a few hidden problems.

Her health continued to decline.

Doctors found out her Thyroid hadn't worked since she was eight. Asthma that really hurt her chest. She had multiple blood clots forming everywhere. A severe case of Fibromyalgia. Then there was the Arthritis and the Osteoporosis. Her eyesight was failing. She had lost the hearing in her left ear already. She had a Pulmonary Embolism, which was apparently the size of a golf ball, blocking the main artery of her left lung. The very last thing on her list of suffering, was Leukemia, which had only been found a year prior.

How the hell was it possible for one human being to have all these physical ailments at once? It wasn't fair, dammit!

Her great life had pretty much gone to hell in a handbasket. She could no longer walk. Only twenty-one years old and she was a legal cripple. Legally disabled. Confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She needed help with the most basic shit and it was pathetic. Her life had become one big drama, with people whispering to each other behind her back and making bets on how long she'd last before she expired.

Then there was her medicines. One helped her joint, but killed her hair. Another was supposed to help the blood clots, but ruined her skin. So while something was getting 'fixed', something else was being destroyed. Who the hell thought of that? Medicine that helps one thing but kills everything else in your body? She wouldn't have taken them, it they didn't make the pain subside, if only slightly.

She couldn't move without pain. Always the fucking pain. It made waking up and going to her college courses almost not worth it. Almost. But she didn't want to die without having her Masters.

Also, she had other things she had to do. Since sports are no longer taking up her time, she threw herself into literature. Reading and writing. And then her art and piano. Besides classes, she wrote fictions and fanfictions. She played her piano and drew to her heart's content.

And then she became an anime addict, no shame there. And she became obsessed with Japan. Her favorite country. The terrain, the plants, the language, the anime/manga, the music. Everything was just perfect. Their culture, their clothing, their traditions, their food/snacks/drinks everything! So, if her life was pretty much ruined and she was dying, why couldn't she indulge her obsession?

She learned to deal with her problems. And even her increase in weight., It wasn't like she could exercise any more. But her weight increase was not her fault. She could barely move from the waist and down. How would she stay fit?

Though she didn't like being 'fat', she got over it. Because she was one of the people, who couldn't control it. But she  _could not accept_  how fat this kid/her younger self, was! It was atrocious!

Obesity due to health problems was somewhat acceptable, but being obese because you ate yourself that way and refused to exercise or at least eat healthy, is just gross. Inexcusable. If you have no diseases, broken bones, or other health risks. No pain when you move and no problems overall in your body, you have no excuse to be fat! Pure laziness, plain and simple.

She didn't like seeing her younger self, looking so unhealthy. When she was young, she was  _thin_!

This kid that she dreamed herself into, didn't care for health and had let herself go. In such a short period of her life too! She was too young to be this overweight!

Tamar gave an experimental stretch and smiled when there was no pain at the movement. It was nice to move without pain.

The door to the room suddenly opened and in walked a brown-haired, brown-eyed woman. She wasn't too tall and was very slender. She had odd-shaped glasses.

"Hikari Muzumi, if you don't get downstairs this instant, you'll have to wait till lunch for food!"

Tamar jolted in shock at the name. That was the name she gave herself on Facebook. This dream was just getting stranger.

Tamar... _Hikari_ , nodded her head and waddled over to the woman and squeezed herself out the door.

Within ten minutes, Hikari... _Tamar_ , was able to learn that she was in an orphanage and had been since she was born. She also learned that her assumptions about the kid she was stuck inside, were true. She was lazy as sin and an avid eater. When she only took one helping of food and didn't go back for more, everyone stared at her in shock.

After breakfast, there were lessons, then lunch and then some more lessons, before playtime. Hikari... _Tamar_ , stayed inside and did her homework.

She slammed her head against the table she was writing on. She'd just accept that her name was now Hikari. No more mix ups.

Anyway, she was gratified to learn that chubster was actually smart in the classroom and was expected to answer questions and hand work in on time. So at least the kid who was there previously wasn't all bad. Intelligence was important after all.

When she got to the history portion, she nearly lost her mind.

 _History of the Elemental Nations_! And then the map almost made her faint!

Why was she learning about the history of the Naruto world?

Because for some odd reason, she dreamed herself into the Naruto world. Into an orphanage about a mile outside the North Gate of Konohagakure itself! The vividness of this dream was amazing. It was like the one time she woke up to find herself living in the Space Needle in Seattle Washington and saw Godzilla's eye looking into her bedroom window. Weird.

So she was in the Naruto world. Was this some sort of subconscious desire of hers? Other than having her own reverse harem of her favorite male characters?

Well, being a ninja would be fun. Maybe. Could she handle killing people? Yeah. She just wouldn't look in their eyes.

Could she reach the physical fitness required for such a job? Yes.

Going from skinny to fat was easy. But going from fat to skinny, was a pain. Especially for women. But it could be done. It would take blood, sweat and tears, but it could be done. Years it would take, but the result would be worth it.

Hikari sighed as she opened the history book and immersed herself in the dream created history of the Naruto world.

* * *

It had started with eating small portions at mealtimes. And after a few weeks, she began adding vegetables and fruits, while taking away all the candy that seemed to lay around the orphanage.

After six months, she began to notice changes. She lost a chin and the shoes weren't as tight as before. After six more months, her arms and legs were a little less chunky and her feet had went from wide to medium.

After a year in the dream world, she finally dubbed it time to start actually working out. Just by eating right, she managed to lose twenty-five pounds. Impressive. And it was all because of healthy food.

She started out small, in her room. Using chalk, she drew herself a hopscotch game on the floor and she played on her own. She would then do her stretches, followed by some jogging in place.

Another year of this. She was nearing nine years of age and had finally begun going outside to exercise, when it was obvious she was losing weight. Her lungs didn't hurt as much as they did in the beginning and she was able to run for much longer.

She lost thirty pounds in the last year, and dropped two shirt sizes, three pants sizes and her shoes were no longer medium but normal. Her legs were a lot smaller and her arms were finally normal looking.

It took early morning and late night exercises for her fitness plan to work. And when she added anaerobic workouts into the mix, things just became even more difficult. She had always had a hatred for sit ups and they were probably the thing that pissed her off most, about working out. They were also where the tears came in. Emotions were always high when she did sit ups.

Besides her aim for better health, she was also aiming to be smartest kid in the orphanage. She always had good grades and even in a dream world, she refused to be beaten. She liked reading the Bingo Book and learning about the dangerous villains. Mostly because it was never shown in detail in either the Naruto manga or anime, so she was most curious.

She was somewhere during the peace after the Third Great Shinobi War. The war was over and the Kyubi had already attacked Konoha.

She had read that right. I happened like, ten years ago? So then, Naruto and everyone was still in the Academy, right? Most likely.

Was she really going to go and change the Naruto world?

Yes. Yes she was.

* * *

She was ten, when her first altercation with the ninja world occurred. She had finally reached the body she wanted and had been working on some of the punches the older boys in the orphanage showed her. Some defensive kicks and all, so that she could protect herself when she decided to go for runs.

It was on a cold night in October, the tenth to be exact, that a Shinobi burst down the door of the orphanage and began calling out threats. He then grabbed one of the little ones. She was only five and had been recently orphaned. And she was terrified beyond belief.

The bastard held a kunai to her throat as he told everyone to remain where they were or else. Apparently, he was running from some Konoha Shinobi, because he stole a sword of some sort. In fact, it was on his back.

Looking closely, Hikari realized that she knew who he was. Aoi Rokusho. Former Jonin of Konohagakure who tricked that Idate kid into stealing the Raijin no Ken for him. And the Raijin was slung across his back like it wasn't even important. This must have been the time he defected, because Konoha was currently holding Chunin Exams.

Hikari glared at the green haired bastard and reached for the closest thing on either side of her.

In her left hand, was a sharp steak knife and in her right... _was a fucking fork_!

Because she didn't have time to change hands, she just burst into action. Everything slowed down for her. Like a slow motion part of a movie where they show the same part from like ten different angles.

Her focus zoomed in on Aoi and she whipped the fork out as fast as she could. To her surprise, it did not rotate in the air, but sailed cleanly through the stillness of the room, until it was embedded deeply into Aoi's hand, right between the thumb and the index finger, where the meat of the hand was.

The little girl moved when he pulled away from her and dropped his kunai. Like the brilliant little thing she was, she stomped on his foot and snatched the kunai off the ground, before rolling away from the nuke nin.

And then Aoi was getting closer. Or rather, Hikari was getting closer to  _him_. Before she could realize everything, she had the knife in her left hand, buried in a spot right under his flak jacket, near his spine. Aoi let out a scream of pain as he pulled the fork from his hand and tried to turn.

Hikari, taking a leaf from one of the Naruto episodes she saw, immediately kicked him in the back of the left knee, making him trip. At the same time, she pulled the Raijin off his back as he went down.

There was a pulse from the hilt and she looked down in time to see a gold light shoot out from it. It sounded like a light saber and it made little cracking noises as the lightning surrounded it. She had no idea how it was working, but she wasn't going to complain.

In a split second, she shoved the sparking legendary blade into Aoi's back and pinned him to the floor. His body writhed upward as he let out a blood-curdling scream as his body was covered in bright yellow currents of lighting.

Hikari was seriously moving on autopilot. The next thing she knew, she was removing his weapons pouch and his travel pouch and kicking them far away. She then removed the steak knife from his back and held it to his throat, making sure to put a lot of pressure on the already bloody blade, letting it cut into the throat just a bit and making the blood run fresh.

There was a loud bang and everyone jumped slightly. The strange high that Hikari had been on, seemed to run out and she finally got a good look at what she was doing.

She was on top of a nuke Jonin from Konoha. Somehow, she managed to beat a Jonin?! How the hell did she pull that shit off?!

Looking up, she made eye contact with none other than Hatake Kakashi. Behind him, was a masked Shinobi.  _Anbu_ , her mind supplied for her.

Kakashi held up his hands in a calming gesture and Hikari nodded stiffly.

Aoi tried surging up from beneath her, but she placed more force on the Raijin and he was electrocuted again. He screamed again and fell limp.

"It's okay now," Kakashi said calmly. Hell, he sounded just like the guy who was the voice actor for him, did. Weird.

"Can you step back for us, drop the weapons and keep your hands out in the open?" the silver haired man continued, taking slow steps forward.

Hikari nodded again, hand slipping from the Raijin. She got up, managing to catch herself before she fell and backed away from Aoi's unconscious form. Her hands were up and she made sure to drop the steak knife.

Kakashi nodded in appreciation and stepped forward to observe Aoi.

"He's unconscious and bleeding badly." Kakashi looked back at the Anbu and motioned to the fallen nuke Jonin. "Take him to the village and inform Hokage-sama that I'll be in as soon as I can."

The Anbu nodded and suddenly, Aoi's body was gone, and so was the Anbu.

Kakashi's lone black eye sought her out and he stood. "I'd like to ask you to come with me back to Konoha. We're going to need your take on the events that have transpired here."

Kakashi sounded so official. Not all aloof like he did when with his team. Maybe this was an important mission or something.

She nodded, still quiet.

"Can you run or shall I carry you?" he asked.

She was finally able to respond normally. "I can run just fine, thank you."

He gave her a searching look, but shrugged, "Then please come with me. We aren't too far away from the gate."

Hikari sent a looked of apology toward the matron while Kakashi gathered the separated weapons pouch and extra pouch.

"Let's go."

Hikari followed after him, keeping his pace easily. He moved faster and she matched pace, until both were nearly flying across the road toward the village. He seemed shocked that she could keep up, but she made no comment. She was still trying to make sense of everything. She nearly killed the dude. She wielded a Shinobi blade like it was nothing. Badass.

She, a fucking ten-year old, managed to take down a Jonin! He must have been the weakest fucker ever. Seriously!

When they reached the village, Kakashi gave no warning as he scooped her up into his arms and took to the rooftops. The feeling of being airborne every two seconds was pretty cool. Luckily, she wasn't one who was affected by motion sickness. No puking on the hot teacher for her.

She rolled her eyes when Kakashi entered the Hokage Tower through the window. Seriously, did he not know how to use a fucking door? Or was it just to make everything easier?

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi greeted as he deposited Hikari safely on the floor.

Hikari felt a moment of surrealism. Here she was, standing in the Hokage's office with Sarutobi Hiruzen, sitting not even five feet from her! The Shinobi no Kami was right there! Imagine all the knowledge he possessed.

The only man gave her a gentle smile and motioned to the chair in front of the desk. "Please have a seat, miss..?"

"Mizumi Hikari, sir," she supplied quickly, giving a small bow of respect before taking the seat proffered to her.

"Well Mizumi-san, I've been informed that you are the one who subdued the Jonin who entered the Mandu Orphanage. Could you please give a recount of what transpired, exactly?" he asked pleasantly.

She nodded silently and started recollecting everything that had happened in the last hour.

"We were settling down for supper and the Shinobi entered through the front door suddenly. He took one of the little ones, I think her name is Akira, hostage. He threatened us and said that if anyone moved, she'd be dead. He said he needed her to help him escape.

He was on the run from Konoha Shinobi, because he stole something, or so he told us. If we behaved, no one would get hurt.

His back was to me and I couldn't just let him even attempt to hurt Akira. He wasn't too gentle with the kunai he had at her throat and I got pissed. Sorry! Angry, I was angry," she apologized, flushing in morbid embarrassment.

The old man smiled congenially and waved his hand in dismissal. She sighed in relief. "Thank you, I have a tendency to cuss when over emotional."

She thought back to the story and resumed where she left off. "So I was angry and I just reacted. It was really strange, because everything sort of, slowed down. I reached for the nearest thing, which for my left hand was a steak knife and for my right, was a fucking  _fork_.

I knew I didn't have time to switch them and I have questionable aim with my left hand, so I just whipped the fork at him. I watched it sail through the air. It didn't divert from its path at all and landed deeply in the Shinobi's hand. About right here," she explained, using her own hand as an example.

"So, it hit and he dropped the kunai. Akira stomped on his foot then and took the kunai as she got away. And they I rushed up behind him and stabbed him with the knife. Somewhere near his spine, I think. As I did that, he had managed to get the fork out and I didn't want to find out if he was good enough to turn a fork into a weapon, so I kicked him in the back of the knee and as he landed, I started removing his pouches and weapons.

I pulled the thing off his back and the next thing I know, a yellow light comes from it and it starts crackling like lightning. When the guy moved, I didn't really think about what I was doing and just shoved the weird yellow light into his back. He starts twitching like he's having a seizure and screaming loudly and I took that chance to take the knife out of his back and hold it to his throat.

I didn't want him to think I was just joking around, so I made sure to put a lot of pressure on it and I cut him a bit. And then the silver ninja showed up just as I realized everything I had done, and asked me to move away from the guy and drop my weapons and keep my hands out... _yeah_. That's it."

The Hokage nodded silently and looked behind her when the door opened.

"Hokage-sama, Rokusho Aoi did not make it, but we preserved his body with a few seals and I was able to clarify that he enlisted the assistance of a young Genin by the name of Morino Idate to steal the Raijin no Ken, under the pretense of a second chance Chunin Exam. He then left the village as fast as possible, entered Mandu Orphanage and took a little blonde girl as his hostage. But he was then overtaken by someone he couldn't see and was stabbed twice, then electrocuted twice and given a cut on his throat before fainting. He expired only two moments ago."

Hikari paled slightly and looked at the Hokage and asked, "Am I going to get into trouble for that? Because good guys don't take little girls as hostages, you know."

The old man smiled kindly, "No, you aren't in trouble. He became a traitor of the village and was supposed to be hunted down and done away with on the spot. You just lent some surprising assistance. Are you okay, as far as emotions and your mind are concerned? You  _did_ just go through something possibly traumatic and it ended with the death of someone."

Hikari though about it and shook her head slowly, "To be honest, I'm not all that sad that I killed him. Though if I were looking him in the eye as he died, I might not feel the same. However, he did try to hurt one of the little ones and I won't tolerate that. I feel no remorse. Is that bad? For me not to feel bad for what I did?"

"Not necessarily. He was an intruder who tried to hurt someone you care for and you protected them and everyone else in your home. He does not deserve pity. Traitors are unacceptable in the ninja world and he was a traitor."

She nodded in relief and sagged in her chair.

The Hokage sat back in his own chair, "I'm impressed that you managed to move fast enough to defeat a nuke Jonin. Do you train by any chance?"

"Not really train. I was just a really overweight kid and dedicated myself to getting healthy and losing weight. It took about four years, but here I am. Anyway, my workouts consist of a lot of running, so I guess that would explain the speed. And I can throw an alright punch if I had to."

The Hokage nodded, "Have you ever considered becoming a ninja?"

"Yeah, but I'm not a Konoha resident, so I assumed that it wasn't really possible."

She heard Kakashi snicker a bit and watched as the old man before her, smiled again.

"It is all possible. If you were to enter the Academy, you would be given a stipend because you are a civilian orphan. In fact, we'd have to reward you for defeating an A-rank nuke ninja. That would consist of a hefty bounty and anything else I would decide to give you in return. Such as his house, which the mortgage has already been paid off. All that would have to be paid monthly, would be water and electric, which the stipend would cover easily. And then becoming a ninja would provide the funds necessary."

Hikari gaped at the man. "You would just give me someone's house because I killed them? Isn't that like, barbaric or something?" she asked in confusion.

"No," Kakashi stated. "He was worth over five million Ryo in Suna and since he became a traitor, his possessions belong to the Hokage. If Hokage-sama wants to gift you with the traitor's possessions, then he can."

"So...I could go to the Academy and live on my own in the village?"

The Hokage nodded. "I could arrange for monthly check ups for you, to see how you are faring, or course."

She'd get a house, that she wouldn't have to pay for. Even when she was older, she wouldn't be burdened with a mortgage. A mortgage was like a death grip and they were pretty much ways of enslaving people. She wouldn't have one. And she'd be away from the orphanage and the annoying kids! And she'd get to go to the Academy and become a ninja too!

"Would this be agreeable to you?"

Hikari nodded silently, not trusting her voice. The man smiled, "Wonderful! Now, I think it'd be best if I gave you this. I think you'd do well with it."

Her mouth dropped when he handed over the Raijin no Ken.

"Do you know of the Nidaime Hokage?" Hiruzen asked.

She nodded.

"This was his sword. Since it reacted well enough to you, I think it would be beneficial for you to learn Kenjutsu. It obviously liked your chakra."

She took the weapon carefully and jumped slightly when the yellow light appeared again.

"You have a lot of chakra. Jonin level to be exact. Only Jonin level and up would be able to feed their chakra to the Raijin in order for it to work. Chunin and below don't possess enough chakra to make the blade work for them however. An impressive revelation, I'll admit.

Now then, give me a few moments and I will get everything set up for you. I will need you to fill this out though."

Hikari took the paper and looked down at it. It was for verification of her identity and was needed in order to label her as a permanent resident of Konohagakure no Sato of Hi no Kuni.

 **Name:**   **Mizumi, Hikari**

 **Date of Attained Citizenship:**   **October 10th PTSW 15(A/N: PTSW- Post Third Shinobi War, and 15 means 15 years after it. It doesn't specify when the war ended, just that it was before Kurama's attack, so this is just me making it up.)**

 **Birthday:**   **November 18th**

 **Hair color:**   **Black, hip length**

 **Eye color:**   **Black**

 **Age:**   **10**

 **Height:**   **140 cm(A/N: 4.59 ft.)**

 **Weight:**   **34.01 kg(A/N: 75 lbs.)**

 **Skin:**   **Pale**

 **Distinguishing Characteristics:**   **Two long strips of hair hang on either side of head, crescent-shaped scar behind left ear and birthmark in shape of lightning bolt on back.**

Hikari returned the paper and watched as the Hokage's eyebrow rose. "Interesting characteristics. Just a few more moments."

Hikari turned to look at Kakashi, who was reading Icha Icha. She shook her head at him. Pervert. Not that she had any room to talk, she was a perv too.

Kakashi noticed her attention and gave her a questioning glance.

She shrugged, "I wasn't all too impressed with the writing in it." Truly she wasn't. It was mushy and the sex wasn't so great.

Kakashi sputtered, "Do you even know what it's about?"

"Sex," she said simply, ignoring his jerky movement at her words. "And I have to say the sex wasn't good. Boring and all too, convenient if I say. There was no struggle for anything. The plot is lacking. No girl unless she's a slut, will just let some guy she doesn't know, bone her. Not happening. Even in fiction."

She could see the only visible skin on his face begin to turn red and she snickered. She remembered when he had to read the pars from Icha Icha Tactics and he went all red-faced there as well. Apparently, he was okay with reading it in public, but not  _discussing_ what it was about in public. It was funny.

Kakashi returned his attention to the book and promptly ignored her smirk.

Hikari returned her attention to the Hokage who was writing on a piece of paper. After a few moment, he sat back and smiled. "All you need is a medical examination so we can see how your eyesight and reflexes are. Kakashi, please escort her to the hospital and when the medics are finished, bring her back."

Hikari went with the silver-haired Jonin quietly. She let the doctor go through questioning and tapping of body parts. She had to give a blood sample to find out her blood type. She was O negative. A universal donor. Her eyes were perfect, her reflexes and responses were prefect. There was nothing wrong with her.

It was nearly an hour later when they returned to the Hokage Tower and Hiruzen had finished her paperwork.

"Congratulation, Mizumi-san, you are now a civilian of Konohagakure no Sato."

Hikari smiled to herself. She now had dream citizenship to her favorite Shinobi village. And she was another step closer to that reverse harem she always wanted.

**A/N: The first chapter.**

**This is like a mix insert story. A mix of me, my mom and my friend Luna in personality. My mom's health problems, sans the Leukemia the shot hearing and blindness. And she was only hit by 2 cars, not three. My reactions and dreams and Luna's and my want for a reverse harem or sexy men. One of my FB profiles goes by Hikari Mizumi, I figured I'd use it.**

**Let me know what you though in a respectful manner, please?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikari(Tamar) trains her ass off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hikari is a big Naruto fan and knows everything about the show/manga. Even how it ended.

**A/N: Hello, people! Thanks for the good response to the first chapter! :)**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

Getting used to living alone in such a large house, wasn't at all difficult for Hikari. Since she didn't really know anyone, she wasn't burdened by the feeling of loss or a want for company. Besides, in her alone time she caught up with the Academy schooling.

The Hokage agreed to put her in the class next year so that she had the next ten or so months to get up to speed with everything Academy final years were supposed to know.

Chakra was not hard to find. Mainly because the Raijin absorbed her chakra in order to work fully. So when she meditated, she would have the sword on her lap. It made it so much easier to concentrate when she could feel the pull on her chakra. She could then locate where it was. Also, sitting in the same position for a few hours wasn't hard for her. Though it did leave the muscles stiff.

She found out by accident, that using the Raijin in her training, helped expand her chakra reserves. According to the Hokage, she had Jonin levels chakra reserves, but in her mind, it wasn't good enough. She wanted more chakra. The more you had, the longer it took to wear you out.

Her chakra control was perfect. Her speed was above average for a Genin. However, she had to really work on it the most. She had plans for her harem and they involved being fucking fast as all hell. Fast because her life would depend on it, for what she had planned.

Her Taijutsu and her Genjutsu, were shitty. One would think that with perfect chakra control, she'd be able to cast a Genjutsu, but the problem wasn't chakra. It was vision. She just couldn't seem to come up with something to help her cast illusions. Like, they wouldn't work or something. Or maybe she wasn't detailed enough.

As for her Taijutsu, she was pretty fast, which meant that she could possibly have good evasion skills, but other than that, she would really need to work on the katas and stances as much as possible.

Her Shurikenjutsu was okay for her right hand. Near perfect. But shinobi had to be skilled with  _both_ hands and she wasn't too good with aiming from the left hand.

Ninjutsu was easy because of the chakra control. She got the  _Henge_ **(A/N: Transformation)** , which was odd because technically it was just a Genjutsu placed over the body. Why could she do that but not an actual Genjutsu?

The  _Kawarimi_ **(A/N: Substitution)**  was easy as well. Finally, she did the  _Bunshin_ **(A/N: Clone)**. All the Academy required Ninjutsu were easy enough for her to learn. When it came to graduating, that would be a cinch. But she would still have to go over the shinobi history to catch herself up to the other students.

Her days consisted of studying and training. Every day was something. At least she was busy.

One day, she got bored with standard Bunshin and decided to try and make a  _Kage Bunshin_ **(A/N: Shadow Clone)**. Since she knew the principles, having consulted Narutopedia countless times for her fanfictions, she was able to do it. She got one...but she fainted from chakra exhaustion.

Three days in the hospital and a long discussion with the Hokage. He wanted to know what she had done.

"I was trying to make a better Bunshin, so I split up my chakra and pumped a large amount into it. It worked! But then I fainted and woke up here."

The old man sighed, "Mizumi-san, that was dangerous. What you made was known as a Kage Bunshin. Only Jonin level shinobi and higher can manage to create one, because they take a lot of chakra. Though it's amazing that you were able to make one, I ask that you don't attempt again until your chakra reserves are much larger. You could die from such severe chakra depletion."

Her heart leapt a little at that, but she nodded. She only had to wait until her chakra reserves were larger. Another good reason to make them grow.

Like the curious child she was supposed to be, she asked, "Are there exercises to help my chakra reserves grow?"

And that was when she 'learned' about Tree Walking.

Good chakra control lent aid in that training. So, because it was too easy, she made it harder. Tree Walking became Tree Training. Cartwheels, flips, splits and other such things. It was like cheer practice again, but on a tree and vertical surface.

And then that got her thinking. Cheer-leading was hard work. A lot of people did not understand how demanding it was to be a cheerleader. Most didn't even consider cheer-leading a sport, but it really was. When you have to do laps, crunches, stretches and push ups just like in more accepted sports(a.k.a. football), you know it isn't a joke. It's real. And sometimes a real pain in the ass.

Maybe if she started doing what she did in cheer practice, she'd be able to improve her Taijutsu. Limber cheerleaders were able to do stunts easier. Such as the scorpion. Pulling your left foot all the way up from behind and touching the heel of your foot against the top of your head and keeping it there, took time and practice.

This meant ten laps around Training Ground 1 every morning before she started her workouts. It was about the size of her old high school's track and that was good enough. She'd then have to work on her upper body strength even more. Sometimes people were flyers and sometimes they were bases. Though Hikari(previously Tamar) was a good flyer, she was also a good base. That meant having the strength to lift someone over your head without a problem and holding them for an uncertain amount of time. Her limit was one hundred and thirty-two pounds(without help), for five minutes, before she'd most likely drop the person.

Were ninjas flexible? She remembered watching Naruto and reading the manga all the time and some of those moves were only executed because of speed, not flexibility. However, there were some creepily rubber like ninjas she had seen. She didn't think that was product of training though. Probably something they were born with.

Hm.

She had eight months left to perfect Academy Taijutsu, with a representative of the Hokage coming by once a month to check her progress and fix anything she was doing wrong. Though she shocked in most areas, the guy was unimpressed with her(lack of) Genjutsu. Not that she cared. She leaned how to spot them and how to get out of them. That was enough for her.

Apparently, Genjutsu was the user manipulating the chakra in another's brain. If you cut off the chakra flow to your brain for a split second, you could break the hold the enemy had on you. Jiraiya taught Naruto to stop all chakra in his body, but that technically wasn't needed. Since the brain was the only thing being affected directly, all one had to do was stop the chakra from flowing. Without chakra to manipulate, the Genjutsu fails instantly. And if it doesn't work or one has no time to focus, one could just stab himself and the pain would register and disrupt the Genjutsu enough for it to be cancelled.

As long as she could do either of those, she didn't care about Genjutsu. She opted for switching it out with Kenjutsu. And just her luck, she managed to snag a temporary instructor for it. Hayate Gekko.

The coughing guy.

It was more of a fluke than anything else. He saw her training against one of the practice logs and when she pulled out the Raijin and used it to cut the log in half, he made his presence known. He asked how she got it(the sword) and she explained her situation to him and how she wanted to learn Kenjutsu.

Low and behold, he decided to help her a bit. With basics for the next two months and then she was able to move onto other things. Her speed was increasing as well and he said that was good for a Kenjutsu specialist.

Sometimes, she would wish that things like it were real. And that this whole adventure of hers wasn't just a dream. Because going back to the pathetic cripple her, was a disheartening thought and she didn't want to go back.

It was during her fifth month into her ten, that she met  _him_!

Green, orange and a bowl cut. It was more terrible than it was in the anime and that was saying something! All she did was wake up early for her training and she literally ran into the Green Beast. She lost count of how many times she heard the word, 'YOUTH'. It was a lot though, that was for sure.

The only good that really came from the meeting, was Gai's suggestion for her to use weights to increase her speed. She had chuckled inwardly at the thought of becoming faster. It was just so great!

She was one step closer to her harem! Fuck yes!

The weights cost quite a bit of money. Luckily, she had been saving up the monthly Ryo she was being given. She didn't need electricity, so that bill wasn't needed. And water didn't seem to cost as much as it did in the real world. Probably because people could make it appear out of nowhere in the Naruto world.

Since that was her only bill and she wasn't one for blowing money on things she didn't need, her savings didn't take a really hard hit, but still. One thousand Ryo was almost ninety-two American dollars if she had done her conversion right. One Ryo equaled ten Yen and ten Yen was like .09 American dollars or something. Being a Naruto fan was taxing sometimes.

The weights were adjustable according to how much chakra was pumped into them. That was why Lee's weights, though very small, weighed so damn much. Enough to leave huge ass holes in solid walls. Gai must have been adding chakra to them all the time.

The first week was a pain in the ass. Especially when she had to work on her Tree Training with the extra weight on. Though her thighs were becoming nice and toned, that was a plus.

On the thought of the thighs part, Hikari was shocked to see that shinobi did not grow unwanted hair. No shaving! It was glorious, really it was! And sweating wasn't normal. There was no disgusting scent from the accumulated sweat on her clothes or anything. No scent at all. Weird.

The next shocker, was energy. She found herself consuming more food, now that she had accepted chakra into her workouts. She needed more energy to work out and therefore, bananas made their way into her breakfast every morning. She also started taking vitamins just to make sure her health was still in top form. Sometimes she didn't eat lunch and missing a meal was not the best of ideas.

Shinobi could also sense others. Like, their presence. Not chakra though, that was reserved for chakra sensors. And if what she had read, those were very rare. Naruto ended up being a chakra sensor if she recalled correctly.

Still, being able to sense someone from a certain distance was convenient. Though she had no idea how to train that particular skill. And she really didn't want to have to ask someone or hunt down a book on it.

Hayate was very, serious during training. It was like his illness decided to hold off until he was finished training. There was never any coughing or pausing in the middle of battle in order to choke up half a lung. Of course when it was all over, he would double over and heave and wheeze for several moments.

Hayate made her use Kodachi Bokken in their training. She wasn't good enough for real weapons yet. And that was understandable, because she had only been using Kenjutsu for three months. It would take much longer than that to actually develop skill.

Hopefully she'd be much better by the time she graduated from the Academy. Enough to display the required amount of skills.

The Academy was just so she'd be able to get to know the others her age. She also wanted to meet Naruto in person. She wondered if he was as...odd, as Gai. Probably not.

The next two months consisted of training only. She was already up to speed with the Academy requirements, so she had more time to devote to her training. Taijutsu and her speed mostly. Chakra reserve expansion came right after them though. She really wanted to use the Kage Bunshin but could only do that when she reached the appropriate levels. This led her to learning Water Walking, which was much harder than Tree Training but still, she managed after the fifth try. It was good that she had taken off most of her clothes for that part.

The stupid rotating leaf exercise got old fast. She didn't like it and refused to continue once it was done. Boring as all hell.

Taijutsu training with an extra two hundred pounds on, was definitely an experience. Of course she gradually increase speed. Nothing like one hundred pounds a week or anything. It was more, twenty-five pounds a leg each month. That would give her a month to get used to it with all of her training.

Reverting to her stretches and stunts from cheer-leading, with all the extra weight on her legs, was even more difficult. A good challenge. Something about pulling off the perfect routine while being weighed down by so much weight, was fulfilling. She felt proud of herself.

Hikari lifted her leg up and pressed in along the tree. It looked she was doing a vertical split and that she was hugging her leg. She didn't have to lean back to make her leg go so high. Instead, she wrapped her arms around the tree, pulling herself close against the rough bark and gritting her teeth at the strain in her hamstrings. It was a good kind of burning feeling. She was a masochist for sure.

She repeated the action with her other leg. She wasn't as flexible and limber on her left side, so she had to do more stretches on that side. The burn on that side did not feel good. It was a stinging annoyance at the forefront of her mind.

She stepped back from the tree and twisted to her left and then right, popping her back in the process.

She turned, with her back facing the tree and lifted her right leg behind her as far as it would go on its own. Pretty high actually. She reached back and with her right hand, she caught her foot and raised it even higher, until it was positioned high above her head and her body's private center was pressed fully against the tree. It was a morbidly and disturbingly twisted version of an arabesque. She reached back with both arms and clutched the tree in a death grip. This particular stretch took skill.

She took a deep breath while in said position and felt her back pop all from her body expanding as it took in the needed air.

She held herself for a while before doing the same with her left leg. Unfortunately, because she wasn't as flexible on her left side, she couldn't fully press herself against the damn tree. She had to rectify that problem.

What a lot of people didn't understand was that cheer-leading, rhythmic gymnastics, regular gymnastics and even ballet, had very similar practice moves and training methods. And yet all but two were considered a sport.

Hikari sighed in relief when she reached the time to return to her Kenjutsu training.

She froze for a small second, when she sensed someone coming. It wasn't a Jonin or one of the Anbu. Which meant it was either a Chunin, a Genin or an Academy student. She continued with her forms, trying to pinpoint where they were coming from.

"You aren't in the Academy," a young voice cut through the air.

She straightened from her crouch and turned, nearly gaping when she saw Neji Hyuga. If the voice wasn't enough to tell her who it was, his appearance definitely gave him away.

"No," she answered simply.

"Why do you even bother training? You'll only fail, civilian."

She rolled her eyes and noticed how his own milky eyes twitched in response to her easy dismissal of his words. He didn't like being ignored. Perfect.

"Okay Hyuga, I was asked to join the Academy next year, by Hokage-sama himself. I'm using this time to train. Technically, I could graduate with the class of this year, but I want one year with other people my age. If I have to work with them at some point in the future, I'd prefer to know them more than just as teammates. It is my decision and Hokage-sama has agreed."

Neji bristled at her words and she held in a snicker of glee. Messing with the 'prodigy' was fun!

"Your Kenjutsu is meager at best and you don't look like much of anything. You will not make it very far in the ninja profession."

"So because I don't look threatening to you, you can immediately assume what you want about me?" Hikari asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

He gave a firm nod as his only reply.

She returned the action in understanding and said, "Fine then. Since you look like a girl, I'm going to refer to you as  _hime_ **(A/N:princess)**  from now on. You  _look_ like one after all."

His milky eyes narrowed dangerously, or probably what he  _thought_ was dangerously. In reality, he looking like a riled up kitten and there was a small flush across his cheeks. Hikari realized how cute Neji was in that moment and she knew what she wanted at the same time.

_He will be in my harem!_

Now all she had to do was help pull his head from his ass. Should she do it, or leave that for Naruto later?

She gave an internal shrug and decided to continue on with her tormenting.

"Kenjutsu isn't a requirement for Academy graduates, this is just me getting to know the art. My sensei has been making me repeat reps. Do not assume that you are better because you have pretty eyes and hair, Hyuga. Your clan name doesn't mean a thing in the real world."

He did not take her words well. At all. So badly in fact, he attacked her head on.

She dropped the Bokken and moved aside in time to avoid his chakra filled fingers that hit the air of where she was previously standing.

She reached down and released her weights. Neji hadn't graduated yet and he didn't have the extra year of training that he had when he faced Naruto in the Chunin Exams. He was a lot weaker at the this point in time. She could take him, because her speed was much better than his. Juken was all great and stuff, but useless if it couldn't hit your target.

She swerved under another strike and brought her arms up, spreading his own arms far apart from each other and raising her leg to deliver a swift kick under his chin, sending him careening backwards. He landed with a rough thud and rolled over onto his knees to push himself upward.

He shifted into the well known Juken stance and activated his Byakugan. Not like it would do much good for him. She never used Genjutsu and he couldn't actually touch her to block any chakra. And even if he did, she still had Taijutsu, Kenjutsu and Ninjutsu for back up use.

Neji charge and she fell into a frontal split in an instant and landed a, what some would consider unfair, blow to his genitals. The teen immediately released his Dojutsu and he fell forward, holding himself.

She followed his movement and pushed him onto his back while simultaneously pulling a kunai from her bra. She place a chakra filled hand against his own hands, which were still cupping his damaged privates, as she held the kunai to his throat.

She waited for him to make eye contact.

When he did, she smirked in triumph at his flush. So Neji was a little pervert, huh? Good.

He glanced down and for a second, she did as well, noticing how close their bodies were. A very sexual position for an eleven and a twelve year old. Yep.

She met his milky eyes and whispered, "Remember, you were just defeated by a clanless, Kekkei Genkai lacking orphan, who only started shinobi training seven months ago. Your innate talent and blood limit mean nothing against my hard work. Drop the attitude, or else you'll get your ass kicked in the future, in the most humiliating way. In fact, I can see your future now, if you stay on this road. You'll be brought back to the ground by a bubbly but misunderstood blonde. And the trip won't be fun, I assure you."

Neji gaped for a few seconds, before his mouth clicked shut.

"It is obvious that you are a prodigy yourself. I misjudged you. You were destined to win this duel."

She rolled her eyes. And here came the destiny shit.

She sighed, "Neji, yes I know your name, don't look at me like that. Anyway, fate is a load of shit. The only 'fate' we all share, is death. We will  _all_ die someday. But what we do until we get there, is entirely up to us."

He didn't seem to be listening, so she flipped the kunai in hand and hit him in the bandaged forehead with it. He blinked up at her in shock.

"Pay attention! There's a boy in your class. Bad haircut and odd speech pattern. He can't do Gen or Ninjutsu, because he can't mold his chakra. He will graduate simply because he never gives up and shows skill in Taijutsu. One would label him as a loser because he can't do everything that others can and yet he will graduate and prove them all wrong in his dream to become a Taijutsu master. He's already defied the 'fate' that was so clearly set before him.

I was a fat kid, until I woke up one day and didn't want to be so unhealthy any more. It took me four years of exercising to look like this, you  _baka_ **(A/N: Idiot)**. No one thought I could do it, but I proved them all wrong.

Just because someone orders you to do something, doesn't mean you have to listen to them. What do they know? What if they are wrong? You can choose what to do. Listen to their word and forever wonder what would have happened if you had done what you wanted, or take the chance."

She got a blank stare in return for her words. So she asked, "What is your dream or goal for the future, Neji Hyuga?"

Another few moments of staring, before he sighed. "I want to prove that the Main Branch isn't as great as everyone believes."

She smirked, "Right there, you are already attempting to defy your 'fate'. You were marked with that stupid seal, like every other Cadet Branch member was. Technically, that seal is supposed to be a mark to you and everyone who sees it, that you are a mere Cadet Branch member and that you will never be good enough to be better than a Main Branch member. That you are fated to serve for the rest of your days. But you want to prove the preconceived notions over the Main Branch wrong, by becoming better. In other words, you are fighting your supposed fate."

Hew was gaping and she knew she was taking a gamble on her information. She really shouldn't know that much.

"The women of your clan aren't very smart and apparently their all-seeing eyes can't detect when strangers are nearby," she told him. "They blab."

Neji looked horrified and confused at the same time.

"You don't understand what it's like to be forced into slavery," he finally mumbled.

"No, I don't. But who said you have to do what they want? You  _could_ choose to disobey."

"If I do, they'll activate the seal and I could be killed," Neji retorted sharply.

"Again, the women if you clan are loudmouths. Especially the older ones. Only Hiashi Hyuga has the ability to activate the Hyuga Soke no Juinjutsu **(A/N: Hyuga Main Family Sealing Technique)**. He is the head of the clan. And though he is an asshole, he also is your uncle. I don't think he'd do that to you. You are the only contact he has left to his brother, after all."

Neji flinched. "It's because of Hiashi- _sama_  and Hinata- _sama_  that he is dead!" he said with heavy malice.

"Okay, do  _not_ blame a three year old for the faults of someone else. She was  _three_ for Kami's **(A/N: Divine Being/god)**  sake. It'd be like me blaming you when you were an infant, for the death of my parents that I don't remember. Secondly, ever think that your father died for a good reason? Have you ever talked to your uncle about him? Did you  _not_ want to find out why he had to die? At least ask him before you continue being Fate's bitch. If you are right in whatever you are thinking, continue on with your life. But until then, quit assuming. Chances are, you're wrong, just like you were with me."

Hikari was gone from his view then. She was twenty feet away, gathering all of her things and placing the weights back on her legs.

Once all of her belongings were in place, she gave a half-hearted wave and stalked from the training grounds. She really hoped he pulled his head out of his ass. She wanted him in her harem.

* * *

The final three months of training where harder than the beginning. Mostly because the Hokage himself came to view her progress before the beginning of the school year. He wasn't an ass about the Genjutsu part thankfully. He seemed mildly impressed with her Ninjutsu, Shurikenjutsu and Kenjutsu. She was about Academy final year level in Taijutsu, which was good. And she still had a year left to get even better in it. Her speed had increased drastically and she had to actually move onto seals for her weights. Walking around with large weights on her legs was embarrassing and she wasn't too fond of wearing leg warmers, of any color, to hide them.

Sarutobi was proud of her chakra control and her exercises. His reaction to her stretches was hilarious.

If a man did not intend to pursue a career in gymnastics or ballet, most of her stretches would seem, terrifying for the males. Causing an occasional wince when she would fall into a straddle split.

"Are you sure you do not wish to just take the graduation exam?" the old leader asked.

She nodded, "Yes. I want to get to know the others. Future teamwork depends on our relationships."

He sighed, "Very well then. You've done a very good job with your training. You are most likely the most advanced Academy student. Good luck tomorrow."

* * *

Hikari looked up at the Academy in silence. She had always wanted to attend the Ninja Academy and now she was finally able to! She liked this dream. This really. Long. Dream.

She entered the building, already knowing that the Hokage had already registered her, meaning she only had to go to class. No talking to secretaries and trying to find out certain things.

Classroom 5 was used for those who where in their fifth and supposedly last, year at the Academy. Just as Classroom 4 was for fourth years and down the list the classrooms went. They were so lucky that they only had to go to school for five years. In the real world, twelve years or more was the usual for most. **(A/N: I say that for most, I believe. I did 14, because I did pre-K and Kindergarten before it became unnecessary to do so in my state.)**

The room was just as it was depicted in the manga and anime. High ceilings, large seats that moved upward in the room. Blackboard and podium.

The man writing on the board turned to her. Umino Iruka, age twenty-two with the rank of Chunin, loves to teach. Likes ramen and hot springs, his blood type is O. Ninja Registration Number is 011850, born May twenty-sixth. She really needed to get a life. It was creepy that she knew so much about people she never met before.

He smiled brightly, "Hello! Hokage-sama told me that you would be joining us this year! I'm Umino Iruka and it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Well wasn't he a happy individual. She gave him a soft smile in return and a small bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Umino-sensei. I am Mizumi Hikari."

"You can just call me Iruka-sensei, Hikari-san."

"Very well, sir."

Hikari took a seat in the back of the room and waited for everyone to show up.

It didn't take too long for people to show up. Her seat was immediately occupied by none other than Hinata Hyuga. Her signature hair and coat gave her away. Hikari looked around that the other students and remarked at how odd some of them dressed.

She herself was wearing a mid-thigh length pleated skirt with black leggings that reached to her knees. Her shinobi sandals were also black and she wore a black fishnet shirt with sleeves that ended at the wrists and a skin-tight, black tank top. Her black hair was pulled back in a large ponytail and fell below her hips. Her bangs hung a little below the collarbone, since they had grown out a bit. All in all, she looked like a goth ninja. However, colors weren't really her thing, so it was okay.

When the class all filed in, Iruka gave them all a welcome back speech. He then looked up at her and made eye contact.

"Everyone, we have a new student who will be joining us this year. If you will come join me, Hikari-san?"

She nodded and stood, walking down the steps lightly and stopping at his side while facing the room full of students.

"Please introduce yourself."

She bowed in respect to the class. "I am Mizumi Hikari. I'm eleven years old and I look forward to making your acquaintance. Please take care of me."

"Hikari-san, would you mind if I asked you some questions, just so we can get to know you a little better?" Iruka-sensei asked with a smile.

She nodded.

"Thank you! What made you want to become a ninja?"

What a loaded question that was. She steeled herself.

"I'll give you a bit of history first, sir."

He stood back and gave her the nod to go ahead.

"I was an incredibly overweight child. When I was six, I had a dream where I was thin and able to play games with the other kids in the orphanage. When I awoke, I was sad to face reality and so I decided to become what I was like in my dream. It took four years, but I was able to do it.

In the later years, some of the older boys in the orphanage taught me some defensive moves because I would always stray from the orphanage to do my exercising and I might run into trouble. I had good aim with my right hand.

So last October, on the tenth, a ninja busted down the door of the orphanage just as we were setting down to eat our supper.

He took a five year old girl as a hostage and said that because he stole something from Konoha, he needed a way to ensure that he could get away before he was caught. I reacted to his threat and everything, just slowed down. In reality, only about fifteen seconds had passed, but in my mind it was minutes. Every detail was obvious to me, it was so strange.

The nearest 'weapons' I got were a knife and a fork. Since I didn't have time to switch them, I had to use the fork as the main weapon because my left hand aim was bad. I whipped it at him and when it pierced his hand, he dropped the kunai he was holding and the little girl stomped on his foot, took the kunai and got away. I then attacked and stabbed him in the back with the knife in my left hand. I kicked him in the back of the knees and as he fell, I started removing his weapons.

I grabbed something off his back and this yellow light came from it. It was like a bolt of lightning. When he landed on the floor, he tried to move, but I just reacted and slammed the weird yellow into his back and then he was covered yellow currents of light and shaking and screaming. I was informed later that he was being electrocuted at the time.

Anbu an a Jonin arrive a few second later. I was escorted to the Hokage and gave a report of the incident. When someone informed us that the traitor had died before they had a chance to heal him, Hokage-sama let me keep the yellow weapon, which was revealed to be the Raijin no Ken that belonged to the Nidaime Hokage. He then asked me if I considered becoming a ninja and everything fell into place. I got the traitor's house and belongings and pretty much ensured that I'll have a future.

When you live in an orphanage, it's nearly impossible for you to get work once you leave. And the orphanage was outside the village, so getting citizenship would also be a trial for anyone who wanted to live in Konoha and work here. Now I am a citizen, I have my own house, I pay one bill a month and I will become a shinobi of this village. Frankly, the benefits outweigh the 'cost'. And I liked all the training I had to do to enter the Academy. It was a good challenge."

Iruka was gaping, just like most of the students were. "Are you allowed to disclose the name of the shinobi?" he asked.

"Aoi Rokusho."

Iruka gasped, "He was a Jonin."

"WHAT?!" most of the class yelled in shock.

"The win was due to him underestimating a bunch of kids, me being abnormally fast for my age and for being a civilian, his back being to me and my use of a blade of lightning of kill him. It wasn't just because I'm better than a Jonin. Remember, never assume anything about anyone. I met a cocky Hyuga a couple of months ago and I beat him in a Taijutsu match, even though his Byakugan was activated. He is one year older than me. He lost because he thought I didn't 'look like much of anything'."

Hinata reacted to this was by gaping and placing her hands over her mouth. Apparently she knew who Hikari was talking about. Good for her.

Hikari gave Iruka a smile and waited for orders.

"Well, I hope you enjoy your time here. Please do you work and don't sleep in my class?"

"Yes sir."

The rest of the lesson was filled with revision and Hikari answered three questions perfectly. And all three of them weren't actually from previous Academy years, but had to do with life after Academy.

Hikari managed to establish that she was the smartest girl. Sakura and Ino, who were both extremely annoying in real life, did not take this too well.

The tested out their Taijutsu before lunch. Hikari trumped Ino and Sakura easily. They cared too much about their looks than their training and that was why they lost. All other girls except Hinata, where easily taken care of. Hinata put up a good fight but she wasn't as good as Neji.

Hikari slipped her a note explaining that she should remove the jacket so it wouldn't impede her movements.

When she left the other females down, Iruka decided to put her against Kiba. She had him pinned in seconds with her right hand and Akamaru was too busy being petted by her left hand to try and help him out.

Shikamaru gave up immediately and Choji, though he wasn't affected much by her hits, ran out of energy too fast and had to give in. Shino was more of a challenge, but since he couldn't use his Kikaichu to drain her chakra, he lost.

When Naruto fought her, she had taken to teaching him instead of actually fighting. His footwork was sloppy. His punches where executed incorrectly. She caught his first punch and proceed to rearrange his stance until it was right. She then told him to attack again but to end his attack with the stance she had just showed him. After a few minutes, she knocked him out with a quick chop to the neck.

The only true challenged, came from sir Duck Ass. Though she was an on/off fan of Sasuke's, she couldn't help but call him that. That hair was just hilarious!

Rookie of the Year was an important title and Sasuke showed why he would be Number One Rookie. However, when she released some of the weight in her seals, he didn't stand a chance and for the first time, Sasuke Uchiha was beaten in something.

What she found odd, was that he didn't scowl or glare at her when she pinned him to the ground. Arms above his head and straddling his hips., Instead he was gaping slightly, a pink flush spreading across his cheeks.

Even when she was declared the victor, he didn't react any more than that. For the rest of the day, his dark eyes followed her everywhere. It was stalkerish and creepy.

Naruto found her at lunch, at Ichiraku and for some reason, she felt the need to take him under her wing. He would learn correct Taijutsu and maybe she could teach him the Kage Bunshin so that he could actually pass the exam this time around. Yes, that was what she'd do. She was already changing things and might as well keep on with it.

The rest of class was very rudimentary for most of the students. Shikamaru, Shino, Hinata and Sasuke seemed to be the only ones bored with the repetition. Sakura, even for being one of the smartest, didn't seem to understand what Iruka was doing.

It had always annoyed Hikari(previously Tamar) when girls cared more for their looks than their education. And now she really hated when they jeopardize their training in favor of a crush on a guy. Sure Sasuke was a cutie, but he was still twelve. What did they think would happen? That he'd propose or something? Highly unlikely.

Her first day at the Academy was gold. She liked it, even if some things were below her level. She liked talking to Hinata and sparring with Naruto and Sasuke. She liked the surreal feeling she got, knowing that she was in the Naruto world and going to the Ninja Academy in Konoha.

She liked her dream, a lot.

As the school year started, Hikari grew even closer to her goal.

Her harem would be up and running within the next couple of years.

**A/N: Another one done!**

**Let me know what you though in a respectful manner, please?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikari takes charge in Naruto's life and learns some disturbing information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hikari is like an overprotective mother.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

Hikari munched on her celery stick as she leaned on the counter, waiting for Naruto to finished his ramen. It was lunchtime and once again, the blonde had made a beeline for Ichiraku's.

She looked at him closely and scrunched her nose up. "Naruto, why don't you get clothes that actually fit you? That thing is huge on you."

He froze mid bite and looked at her in shock. "It was the only outfit I was allowed to buy."

The kunoichi in training stopped eating and turned to him. She known that the village hated him, but Kishimoto had never gone into detail over what they had done to him. Did they really…..

"Naruto, do you have parents?"

"No."

"So you are an orphan?"

"Yes."

"Where do you live?"

"I have an apartment near the Academy."

"What is your rent and how many rooms do you have?"

"Four thousand Ryo a month, for a bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen and it's only me living there." **(A/N: 1 Ryo = 10 Yen. 10 Yen = 0.0915 American dollars. 4,000 Ryo = $366 American dollars.)**

That much for one fucking person!

"Do you get a monthly stipend of 5,000 Ryo like I do, for being an orphan that attends the Academy?"

"Yes."

"When did you get that outfit?"

"Three years ago."

"Do you have any other clothes?"

"I have another orange suit and a pair of underwear. I alternate every other day."

"What happens when you go shopping?"

"I buy a lot of cup ramen. It's the cheapest thing I can get my hands on. Most places won't let me inside and the places that do, are expensive, because of the tax on orphans is six times the normal taxes. I barely have money during the month."

By the time he finished, Hikari had crushed the rest of her celery and ignored the juice on her hand. She pulled a small notebook from her pocket and took the pencil from inside it. She flipped it open to a new page and stared writing down everything he told her.

She then began to calculate how much he was losing do to the thievery of the villagers. And he obviously didn't know what they were doing since he didn't seem affronted by what he was saying.

"Naruto, finish your food quickly. I want you to show me the places that you shop at. And then we will be going to Hokage-sama. Don't worry about school, this is more important at the moment."

The blonde finished his bowl and Hikari placed the money on the table and gave Ayame a strained smile. "Thank you for your time and for allowing Naruto into your fine establishment."

Everything was a lie. He ate ramen all the time because it was the cheapest thing he could get his hands on. He wore kill-me-orange because it was all he could afford. His schooling was ruined because of the dumbass teachers and not because of his own shortcomings. Kishimoto never really explained such things in full, but she saw it all clearly now.

Did he even like ramen? Or was it just because two kind people treated him with the affection he had always wanted? Did he actually like orange? Or was it because it was all he had? Was he truly a failure? Or was he jilted because of small-minded bigots? So many questions and she was pissed the more she thought about Naruto and how he lived.

They entered the Academy and blew past the classrooms and went straight up the to Hokage's office which was at the top above the Mission Assignment Room.

Hikari didn't even look at the secretary as she waltzed right by the stuttering woman who attempted to halt her approach but to no avail.

Forgetting all sense of propriety, Hikari threw the door to the Hokage's office open and dragged her blonde friend in with her.

The man looked up and quirked a brow when he saw her. When he noticed Naruto however, he became serious.

"Is there something wrong, Mizumi-san, Naruto-kun?"

Hikari pulled Naruto to the chair in front of the desk and forced him to sit. She then pulled out her notepad.

"Hokage-sama, there's a problem and I refuse to let it continue on any longer!" she said, glowering at her notepad.

"What does Naruto-kun have to do with it?" the man asked, looking worried.

"Well, let's see. Here it is!

Naruto is an orphan who attends the Academy, therefore, he gets a stipend of 5,000 Ryo a month. The old bitch who owns the apartment complex he lives in, takes 4,000 Ryo from him monthly, for a bed, bath and kitchen for one person. I will go so far as to assume that things are not in working order like they should be.

He is allowed into three shops where he is under the impression that all orphans are taxed six times more than normal civilians, when  _you_ know just as well as  _I_ that orphans who attend the Academy are not taxed at all.

The outfit he is wearing, he bought three years ago and no place will sell him anything else. He has a duplicate outfit for backup and that's it. He can only afford cup ramen for food.

They've been stealing from him for years and he hasn't even known any better because no one told him! I want this fixed Hokage-sama, or so help me the first person I go see, his landlady, I will break her door down and take all of her money. I don't care if she's civvy or if she's old, she's a fucking thief and I will not tolerate my friend suffering because she's an insensitive asshole!"

She had balls. Yelling and cursing and pretty much subtly threatening the Hokage. Balls.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked calm by the time she finished. She saw his eyes. They were what betrayed him. And then his chakra and KI **(A/N: Killing Intent)**  washed over the two students and Hikari shivered in fear. So that was what KI felt like. Cold water down the spine.

"May I see that list, Mizumi-san?" the man asked in a chilling tone.

She nodded and handed the paper over.

"Sir, I'd like to request that Naruto move in with me."

The Hokage and Naruto both snapped to look at her, but she held herself together. Naruto tried to protest, but she just slapped a hand over his mouth in irritation, still looking at the village leader in expectation.

He was frozen in a leaned forward position, hand still outstretched and holding tightly onto the paper.

"And you would be okay with that?" he asked, looking shocked.

"Yes. I'm sorry, but I don't want him living there. It's obvious the old bint can't be trusted."

Sarutobi looked to Naruto and asked, "Would you like to live with Mizumi-san, Naruto-kun? She lives all alone in a big house and only pays 50 Ryo a month for the water bill."

Naruto looked gobsmacked, switching back and forth between who he was staring at. "I-I can?"

He received two nods.

"I'd love to live with Hikari-chan. She's awesome and teaches me awesome things."

"Then it's settled," Hikari said clapping her hands together. "Hokage-sama, you will look into everything?"

He nodded, "Yes."

"Thank you."

The kunoichi in training then turned and marched from the room and confused blonde trailing after her.

"We're late for class," Naruto stated, noticing a clock on the wall as they walked down the halls.

"I got it covered. I'm going to lie, so let me do all the talking."

She opened the door to the classroom and both she and Naruto froze at the demonic look on Iruka's face. He was pissed.

"You're late!"

Hikari's hands rose in defense, "Sorry, Iruka-sensei, it's my fault."

He gave her a disbelieving look, " _Really_?"

"Yes. We went out for lunch and I was going to buy something. Naruto decided to forgo ramen for once and follow my lead and we went into a small store and purchased the same things for our mealtime. I went first and paid a relatively cheap amount. I am an orphan who attends the Academy, which means I don't get taxed. Naruto isn't supposed to be taxed either. However, when he went to pay for the  _exact same thing I bought_ , his price was nearly ten times more than mine. How peculiar.

So…..when I asked the man why the price suddenly escalated, he gave me some half-baked excuse. I may or may not have used some brutal force to make him tell me his name and age and then made him tell me the name of the owner of said shop and the name of the shop.

We just came back from Hokage-sama's office where a lot of people are in trouble for stealing from an orphan who is favored by the Hokage and is under the direct protection of the Hokage himself. I'm sorry, but I figured that it required more attention at the moment. Classes can easily be caught up with, but time can never be gotten back. And as the saying goes, 'there's no time like the present'."

The Chunin stared at her for a solid minute and then to Naruto, who was looking decidedly depressed. Someone who was always so happy, looked heartbroken. He couldn't help but believe it. And he'd verify it with Hokage-sama later.

"Fine, but only this time, you hear me?"

"Yes, sensei. Thank you for your understanding."

Hikari turned and steered Naruto over to the free seat next to Hinata. For some reason, the other free seat was beside Sasuke, but she didn't really question it and just took her seat.

Sasuke watched her as she moved, but said nothing as she sat. He then turned his attention to Iruka, who continued his lecture.

* * *

Moving Naruto into her forest guarded Sukiya-zukuri **(A/N:** **one type of Japanese residential architectural style.** _ **Suki**_   **means refined, well cultivated taste and delight in elegant pursuits. 'Fancy' in this instance.)**  wasn't as hard as it seemed. Because he didn't own many things.

His reaction to her 'house' was priceless. She couldn't blame him. Aoi must have had a loaded family.

She even promptly renamed it, Suki **(A/N: Fondness or favor or fanciful)** , which lies in the Kanka no Mori **(A/N: Forest of Inspiration)**  in the far upper right hand corner of Konohagakure. Near the mountain range.

"It's so nice here."

She grinned, "Yeah. I love it here. Just so you know, I have a lot of scented candles. I don't need electricity. I eat out once a day and everything else I do eat, doesn't need to be made with a microwave or a stove. There's a fridge, but I don't need it. Electricity can cost a lot, especially for a house this big. Water is the only real necessity and I only have to pay 50 Ryo a month. So that's twenty-five for both of us.

I do a lot of training, which means you will be doing training with me. You will graduate this year and I won't allow you to fail. It's not like your failing was your own fault anyway."

"Cool! What are we going to do, Hikari-chan?!"

"Get you a room on the left side of the house. I am on the right side. Then we're going shopping. You are going to Henge into a girl and we will go looking for clothes. I am going to complain about you not being feminine enough and you are going to say that boy clothes are more comfortable and you don't have to worry about skirts flying up in the wind. Seriously, this will work just fine."

The blonde looked stunned. "I could have just transformed into someone and gone shopping? Why didn't I think of that before?!"

Once he had a room chosen, she proceeded to instruct him on what he should look like. That pushed him to use his Oiroke no Jutsu, which didn't work on her. He was disappointed.

Once he was finished, he was like a Kushina copy, except his hair was only to mid back. When he asked how he looked, she gave him a thumbs up.

"Now, your name in this form Shina Kumaki. Your nickname is Red. When I call you Red, you will become irate and proceed to call me a 'teme' or a 'baka' and finish with a loud explosion of 'dattebane'. Just trust me. Now, let's go through a few runs."

Shina did as she ordered and after the fifth time, he got the hang of the plan and they were able to leave.

Naruto's new clothes were a lot better than the orange jumpsuit. He got many pairs of black shinobi pants and the standard blue sandals. He got many black and dark blue shirts with the red Uzumaki swirl sewn onto the back. He didn't question her when she asked the store owner to sew them onto the shirts. She murmured that she'd tell him later.

Naruto was then able to go and buy  _good_ weapons. Since Hikari was intent upon teaching him to become the best ninja ever, he needed to learn how to use a variety of weapons.

Naruto swore up and down that it was the best shopping experience he ever had. Hikari was nearly blinded by his megawatt smile.

It took a week for the students in the Academy to notice the blonde's new threads. And when they did, they wanted to know why he had the red spiral on his back, since only people who were members of clans had clothing like that.

This question was rudely posed by none other than Sakura, who accused the blonde of trying to get her to like him. She did so, in the middle of a lecture, interrupting Iruka who then leveled her with a glare for such rude behavior.

Hikari was particularly unimpressed, because Sakura was useless as a person in Naruto. She didn't become anything particularly amazing until Naruto Shippuden. Sure, she defended her teammates in the Shi no Mori, but that was probably her only amazing feat in Naruto. Once she was trained by Tsunade for three years, she became someone worthy of fear and respect. At this very moment, she was just a fan-girl who was too full of herself. Nothing special.

Maybe Hikari could nip that in the bud early like she was trying with Neji and Naruto. Hn.

Naruto didn't know how to react and Hikari stood from her seat beside Sasuke. "Iruka-sensei, may I give the class a brief lesson on the Uzumaki Clan?"

Everyone was shocked into silence and Iruka, though looking confused, nodded.

She immediately strode to the front of the room and planted her hands on her hips.

"None of you know anything, about the Uzumaki Clan. They came from a village called Uzushiogakure in Uzu no Kuni. The Uzumaki Clan and the Senju Clan, are distant relatives. The Shodaime Hokage's wife was Mito Uzumaki. Because the Senju established Konohagakure with the Uchiha, they lived in Konoha while their distant relatives remained in Uzushiogakure. Both villages were allied.

Technically, the Uzumaki came from the Senju, but some of them had a very deep interest and skill for Fuinjutsu. Because of this, they wanted to become their own clan, known for their art of Fuinjutsu. They did so, but kept ties with their brother clan.

Another thing you don't know, is that the Uzumaki Clan was the most important family in Uzushiogakure and therefore, the symbol of their clan and village, is embroidered on Konoha's Chunin and Jonin uniforms."

Hikari paused in her lecture to pull Iruka next to her. She then pointed to the red swirls on his arms. "These are to show Konohagakure's continuous friendship with Uzushiogakure."

She then stepped a little further out so that everyone could see her clearly once more.

"The Uzumaki clan was known for strong life force, enormous chakra reserves and skill at Fuinjutsu. This is all well and good, but some other villages and clans didn't like their skills. They became  _jealous_.

On the cusp of another Shinobi War, certain nations didn't want Uzushiogakure to side with certain other nations like Konoha which they had friendly ties with. In the course of one evening, Uzushiogakure was annihilated and the Uzumaki clan along with it. Some people escaped, but not many.

As for the Uzumakis, one little girl had come from Uzushiogakure at the request of her great-aunt Mito and lived in Konoha when the clan was destroyed. Since Hokage-sama himself says Naruto is a Uzumaki in blood, this little girl was his mother."

Hikari looked at Naruto in sadness. "There s a file on your mother in the shinobi archives, Naruto. Nothing about who she married, just that she was married. You could access it if you don't believe me."

She then looked to the class once more. "As for you, Sakura. Naruto has a right to wear his clan's symbol, seeing as he is the only Uzumaki left. Does that answer your question?"

Hikari could only hope that this did not have negative ramifications. The Hokage would most likely learn about this and she'd have to get the file for him. She made doubly sure that it was there when she wanted to see if it was possible before she decided to tell Naruto about his heritage. She was going to change everything, so it had to happen at some point. Though she did lie in saying he was the only one left. There was Nagato and Karin, but since they didn't come out as Uzumakis, they didn't count.

**(A/N: Just so you know, Kushina wasn't directly related to Mito, but I want her to be in my story, so she'd have a good reason to be in Konoha. People didn't know she was a Jinchuuriki and the relation to the Shodai's wife helps. Everything else is true. All information was taken from Narutopedia, Uzumaki Clan section.)**

The class was silent and Sakura was looking embarrassed. Naruto's head was on his desk and he was quietly shaking. Probably crying. Sasuke looked horrified and sympathetic at the same time. That was a small goal Hikari had when she told the class that.

Naruto and Sasuke had been friends. Of course it was a weird friendship, but still a friendship. This time, they would have even deeper ties with each other and it could possibly make it so that Sasuke wouldn't run off with the pedo-snake. Since both were the last members of their respective clans, they had something in common. This friendship could be built on more than just a rivalry.

Iruka looked from Hikari to Naruto and frowned slightly. "Thank you for that history lesson, Hikari-san. It's almost lunchtime, you can all go to lunch early if you'd like."

The students moved mechanically. Sasuke paused beside Naruto as he left and frowned to himself. He eventually left as well, until it was only Naruto, Hikari and Iruka.

Hikari waited for the blonde to ask her.

He did.

"Can I see that file you talked about?" he mumbled into the desk.

"Sure. It's in the Shinobi Library. I was looking for a file on you actually, but you weren't there. However, Uzumaki Kushina was there. When it said that she was originally from Uzushiogakure, I went on an information hunt. That's how I found out."

He looked up, eyes watery. "Why wasn't I told."

She gave as shrug. "Think of it like this. There was a note in the file, that she was kidnapped when she was young, after the destruction of Uzushiogakure. She was thought to be the only Uzumaki left and she was skilled. Kumo kidnapped her because she was an Uzumaki. Maybe Hokage-sama was worried that you'd be kidnapped as well and he was looking out for your safety. But I think you have a right to know and it wasn't exactly hidden, people just forgot about the Uzumaki clan. I mean, her file is sitting right there and I could tell the similarities between you. If you had red hair and a darker blue eye color, you'd look just like her."

Naruto turned to look at Iruka and said, "Iruka-sensei, can you come with us? I don't want to be kicked out of the library."

Hikari frowned. "Wait! Do you hate reading because it's boring, or because you aren't allowed to go in the damn library because the workers are a bunch of assholes?" she gritted out.

He looked out the window, not answering. She gave an annoyed groan. "These people are idiots," she hissed to herself, folding her arms in annoyance.

Naruto's life was more complicated than people would believe. Kishimoto really left out a significant part of his life.

Iruka went with them to the library and Hikari was able to find the file easily. She proceeded to copy all information on it, into a scroll for Naruto to look at later. It was a simple jutsu she had read up on a month ago and was useful for when she didn't want to take books out of the library.

Naruto stared at the picture of Kushina Uzumaki. Long red hair and bright cheery smile. She held up a peace sign and was winking with her left eye.

"She had a love for ramen, Hikari-chan!" Naruto whispered in excitement.

Hikari saw Iruka rub his head and smile lightly. She could only imagine what he was thinking. Of course Naruto's love for ramen came from one of his parents. It made sense.

In that instance it did at least.

Once she copied the entire file, she handed him the scroll and he grinned.

As they returned to the Academy, Naruto sprang something on she and Iruka that neither were expecting.

"I'm going to dye my hair red!"

* * *

Hikari was currently teaching Naruto the Kage Bunshin, because she wanted him to get caught up to speed with everything.

He was excited and bounced around as she explained how to do the jutsu. His now red hair swaying with his movements.

"Think of making five of yourself, but each has chakra of their own. Five plus you equals six. Then the six of you will all have the same amount of chakra. These Bunshin will be physical. You can actually touch them. Okay. So, divide your chakra, envision yourself covering the gatherings of chakra and make this hand sign, like a cross, yes. Focus….and release!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

She grinned in success when five other Naruto's appeared right behind the former blonde. They all looked perfect and began to high-five one another and cheer.

The real Naruto was gaping. "I did it?"

Hikari grinned, "This is much better than the Bunshin, Naruto-kun. They are solid flesh and blood. Most Jonin can only make one Kage Bunshin, but because you are an Uzumaki, you already have Kage level chakra reserves. That's why you can make five at once and not die from chakra exhaustion. I can make one, but then I faint. Hokage-sama asked me not to try again until I have enough chakra for it. Like, High Jonin level at least and Kage would work."

"But why would you faint or die from it?" Naruto asked, looking lost.

She plopped down and he followed suit. "We need chakra to live. No chakra, no life. Kage Bunshin is considered a Kinjutsu **(A/N: Forbidden)**  because of how draining it is on chakra. I came across it by accident and Hokage-sama explained what it was. I wanted to teach you, because I know you could use it."

"But what could I use it for?"

She grinned and stood suddenly. "Stay right there Don't turn around," she ordered.

Walking over to two of the Kage Bunshin, she grabbed both of them and forced them to kiss. The others stuck out their tongues in disgust and gave fake shivers. Once the Naruto Bunshin were lip locked for a few good seconds, she punched both in the head and they poofed away.

Looking back, she saw the real Naruto, who was still seated on the grass, jump and scream, "YUCK!" He then proceeded to wipe his mouth on his tanned arm.

Hikari turned and licked another Bunshin on the cheek, before punching him away. The last two, looked at her oddly and began shaking their heads repeatedly.

They didn't stand a chance. She flipped the one and kicked the other in the chest. There were no more clones after that.

"See what I mean? You get their memories back once they dispel. This jutsu is particularly good for infiltration missions."

Naruto was on his feet in an instant. "That is so cool!" he yelled, throwing his arms up.

"Make some more Kage Bunshin," Hikari instructed while pulling scrolls from her bag.

Once there were five more Narutos, she handed each a scroll and ordered them to read one. She then turned to the original Naruto and said, "They do all the reading and you get all the knowledge. This way, we can focus on your physical training. I want you caught up with Academy knowledge."

Blue eyes shined in glee, "I don't have to sit for hours and read? They'll do it for me? Hikari-chan, you're one of the best people ever! Right up there with Jiji, Ayame-nee-chan, Teuchi-ji-san and Iruka-sensei. Thanks!"

Hikari had no warning as the former blonde rocketed toward her and wrapped her in a death hug. She waited until this bout of energy passed before pulling away and patting his head. Only then did she realize that they were the same height. Wow, Naruto was short.

"Okay, we've got to work out your Taijutsu most of all."

Naruto nodded eagerly, "When we're done, can we have ramen?"

"Sure."

* * *

The next two months, showed drastic improvement for Naruto. Many good things were going for him. Hokage-sama had gotten all of his money back in return, Naruto bought Hikari a custom-made sword. He of course, used his Shina disguise to do it, which was hilarious.

Ever since realizing that the disguise Hikari had him use was modeled after his mother, he chose to go shopping like that. Another thing, was that his Henge wasn't actually a Henge! No illusion, he was actually  _transforming_  into a girl.  _Extra_  things and all.

In return for helping him so much, Naruto taught Hikari how to do a true transformation. I was fucking difficult! She had only managed to master it a week prior, just when she was about to give up. It had just seemed that it wasn't going to work and then it suddenly worked! Amazing really.

Naruto's improvement in class was not unnoticed.

Hikari was called into the Hokage-s office to explain her reason for telling Naruto about his mother. She shrugged and said he deserved to know. Also, Sakura was being a pest and she had become annoyed with the pinkette.

She also mentioned how Sasuke and Naruto seemed to dance around friendship and rivalry and she was hoping that similar situations would bring them closer. That part was the truth.

The man sighed, but didn't punish her. Mostly because Kushina's file was never redacted so it wasn't like the information was kept hidden. It was basically out in the open.

Hikari also informed the man that she was helping Naruto train to become Hokage like he wanted to be.

"I don't think he has the idea correct yet, but his drive is certainly admirable. One day, he'll fully understand what the title and position of Hokage means, but until then, he'll just have to use his goal of gaining respect as his driving factor."

The old man had sighed but nodded along with her. His reaction to Hikari telling him that she taught Naruto the Kage Bunshin, was hilarious. She defended herself easily with his enormous chakra reserves and he let it slide. Besides, since Naruto couldn't do regular Bunshin, the next best thing was always good to use.

After two months, it seemed that Sasuke finally had enough and challenged Naruto to a spar. Actually, the Uchiha followed them home one day, so the fan-girls couldn't stalk him and  _asked_  Naruto for a spar.

He won after ten minutes, but what really shocked Naruto and Hikari, was that he told Naruto that he had done well. He then confessed to something shocking.

"I've been stuck at the same level of strength for a year and no matter what I do, I can't seem to get better."

Naruto was confused and said, "Why don't your parents just teach you?"

Sasuke's mouth tightened, but he didn't glare or scowl. And he didn't call Naruto a dobe.

Hikari looked to her blonde friend and said, "Naruto, his parents are dead."

Naruto looked at Sasuke in shock. The Uchiha just sighed.

Hikari looked at Sasuke, "So do you mind if I tell him? You know about his clan and I think he should know about yours, if it's alright with you, that it."

She was forced under the dark eyes of the Uchiha, who stared at her for an unknown amount of time.

"Hn," he finally mumbled, looking away.

Knowing that-that was Sasuke's language for  _yes_ , she turned to Naruto and began to elucidate to him what she was referring to, by telling him the story of the Uchiha clan massacre.

After a few minutes, Naruto looked at Sasuke, who was refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

Cue awkward silence.

She couldn't take it.

"I have a secret too," she said suddenly, hoping to diffuse the tension.

They looked at her immediately and she flushed under their expectant gazes. What the hell should she say?

Should she do that? The thing that almost every person in Naruto O/C fanfictions did? She knew the future? Nah, everyone always used the, 'I'm psychic' card. But she could do something else.

"I  _know_ things about people. Things I  _shouldn't_ know."

Confused blue and black eyes. She even got a quirked brow from the Uchiha.

"Take Iruka-sensei for example. The moment I saw him, information about him just came to me. I knew his name, age, birthday, likes, dislikes, ranking, his parents names, his ninja registration number and even his sexual preference all by looking at him," she lied. If she proved it though, they'd learn to trust what she said.

Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other and then back to her.

"Prove it," the Uchiha said simply.

"Fine then!"

After another long look at them, she said, "I know something about both of you. Something neither of you know about yourselves or about each other. I haven't said anything until now, but I think you should know. If you promise not to tell each other's secrets to other people, I will tell you."

They shared another look, before nodding in acquiescence.

"Good." She turned to Naruto. "I know why the villagers hate you so much."

The redhead looked at her in shock.

"Your were born October tenth, twelve years ago. The very same night, about a few minutes after you were born, the Kyubi attacked. The Yondaime could not kill the Kyubi, because something like that is impossible. Biju like the Kyubi are just large masses of chakra. They can't be killed, but they can be sealed away.

People who are sacrificed to become jailers of the Biju, are called Jinchuuriki. Jinchuuriki means,  _power of human sacrifice_. Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, the best sealers in the village at the time, gave their lives to seal the Kyubi into you, with hopes that you and your Uzumaki blood would be able to contain the beast.

Two of the best Seal Masters from Konohagakure sealed the most powerful Biju into you, giving up their lives in the process. You were made a Jinchuuriki. Unfortunately, civilians don't understand Fuinjutsu and don't see you as a child, but as the Kyubi itself. They're a bunch of idiots, Naruto. Don't listen to a thing they say about you."

He was shaking. Tears were pouring down his face. She knew it all made perfect sense. Too much.

Sasuke was looking at Naruto in horror, but not fearful horror. He looked sort of pissed. Hikari could only hope that it was because he didn't like how Naruto was treated.

"How can I not be a monster like they said, if I've got that thing inside me?" he asked in a small voice.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Hikari who reassured him.

"Dobe, you have been going on since the first day in the Academy that you want to be the Hokage. That means you want to protect the village. Living how you've lived and with how they've treated you, you still want to be the only one to protect all of them, even when they don't deserve it! You natter on and on about being Hokage. A monster would have slaughtered everyone by now, not vow to become stronger to protect them and gain their respect. You aren't the Kyubi, you're Uzumaki Naruto. A loudmouth, prankster dobe with high aspirations."

Hikari couldn't help but grin. Sasuke was quite the impassioned thing, wasn't he? It was so cute how he stood up for Naruto! YAOI!

The kunoichi in training felt something drip from her nose and turned away when she realized that it was blood! That actually happened?! She'd been thinking about having a harem for years and yet one thought of Naruto and Sasuke in yaoi goodness and she get's a bloody nose over it?! Impossible! That so wasn't right!

Once her nose was sufficiently clear of any evidence of her perverse thoughts, she faced Sasuke, giving him a smile. Naruto was still sniffing, but his eyes were on Sasuke like Sasuke was the sun in his life. Sasuke most likely just made himself Naruto's most precious person with his words. Good for him!

"As for you Sasuke, focus some chakra into your eyes for me."

Though confused, he did as she suggested and she smirked in success. There it was, the Sharingan, with one Tomoe in each eye.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and gasped, "Your eyes are red, teme!"

Sasuke's entire form froze and he turned to look at Naruto closely. He pulled back with a gasp of, "How?!"

"That night. Itachi never told you. It was due to the trauma of seeing your family scattered in their own blood. You were seven. A year younger than Itachi was when he finally unlocked his."

That was the right thing to say. Sasuke gave humorless smirk. Obviously, the thought of beating his brother at something, made him feel good.

"So then, is what you do, like a Kekkei Genkai?" Sasuke asked after a moment of internal gloating.

She shrugged. "No idea," she lied. "It just happens. I know things that shouldn't be known, but I ask that you tell no one. This could be considered dangerous and put me or the village in danger."

Both boys nodded and she sighed in relief.

"Then I may as well tell you about the graduation exam. They set up one particular team with Rookie of the Year, Top Kunoichi and the Dead Last. It's to even the team out. Easily, Uchiha-san and I are the top, but you Naruto-kun, are no longer dead last. That's good too, but it's also a problem."

"Why?" the boys asked simultaneously.

"Out of the boys, Naruto is second best in Taijutsu, even if his fighting is odd. Sasuke is best. You two work well together. Naruto-kun and I work well together. Uchiha-san and I work well together. It would be in our best interest if we end up being the team full of the two best and the last."

"I don't want a team," Sasuke mumbled.

"Sorry, Uchiha-san, but it's required. The Jonin who will be assigned to us, will give us a test to see if we can use teamwork. This is an old practice in Konoha. The reason we are the greatest ninja village is because we use teamwork. Sure, the money is split more ways, but everyone comes back alive most of the time. We have the least shinobi death rate, the most shinobi power and the most clients, because our teamwork is best.

If we fail to use teamwork, we are failed instantly and sent back to the Academy for another year of schooling and another try at being ninja."

Jaws dropped and she nodded gravely.

"Yes. We can learn to work together and in the end at the exams, Naruto you could deliberately do bad in order to be placed on a team with Uchiha-san and I. People will assume that you are weak, but in reality, you'll be fooling all of them, like a true prankster king."

She really had a way with people like Naruto and Sasuke. Stroke their ego a bit and turn something that sounds bad into something that seems great. Naruto looked pumped.

Sasuke seemed skeptical. "How could we work on teamwork?" he queried.

Hikari smirked, "Where do you live, Uchiha-san?"

He frowned but said, "The Uchiha Compound."

She twitched and gave him a disgusted look. "Who's bloody fucking idea was it to let the sole survivor of a clan massacre  _remain living_  in the very place he saw his family members' dead bodies in?!"

Sasuke and Naruto both shifted away from her fury. Sasuke shrugged, acting like it wasn't important. She growled.

Hikari stood and began stomping off.

"Hikari-chan! Where are you going?!" she heard Naruto yell from behind her.

"I'm going to talk to the Hokage!"

"Why?!" the voices of both boys reached her.

"I'm going to make him let Sasuke live with us!" she yelled back.

She received no response and didn't care. She had fish to fry.

Were people fucking retarded? No wonder Sasuke had grown up to be a nutjob. The trauma of living in that place after what happened. Dumbass village! Dumbass people! Dumbass life! Ugh!

** A/N: Another one done! I am changing things! YAY! :) OKay, in Japan, they usually refer to people surname first. Also, Hikari calls Sasuke,  _Sasuke_  in her head, but  _Uchiha-san_  out loud. They aren't on familiar terms for her to call him  _Sasuke-kun_  yet. Naruto isn't very formal. **

**Let me know what you though in a respectful manner, please?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meddling Hikari in this chapter.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta,**

**ENJOY!**

"You'll be staying on the left side of the house with Naruto. I don't care which room you pick, they're all the same size. I am on the right side of the house.

We do not use electricity here. I do have a lot of scented candles though. The only bill we have to pay is the water bill, which is 50 Ryo a month. You and Naruto will just split it fifteen, fifteen and I'll get the remaining twenty.

Since you live with us, you should know that all our food are non perishables and fruits and vegetables. Since we don't use the fridge or microwave, we don't buy things that have to be heated up or kept cold. We go out to eat once a day.

We train, a lot. When you see Naruto doing really good, try not to get jealous. The Academy teachers, except Iruka, sabotaged his education. He can't even read Katakana. I have Naruto on a special training regimen that will help him improve.

I taught him a jutsu that allows him to get weeks of training and lessons in only hours. I cannot teach you the jutsu until you have Jonin level chakra reserves. As an Uzumaki and a Jinchuuriki, Naruto has over Kage level chakra and call pull this jutsu off multiple times without issue.

It's dangerous for people with low chakra to perform said jutsu, because it evenly divides the chakra. It's called the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Solid flesh and blood clones. I can make 5 before fainting from severe chakra depletion and I have low Jonin level reserves. The Hokage does not want me using the jutsu until I have the correct amount of chakra, which means you can't do it yet either. Just be assured that I  _will_  teach it to you eventually.

Now, I have to catch you up to speed with Tree Walking and Tree Training. Naruto is just finishing up his Tree Training and since you have natural skill, you'll probably get the exercise down a lot faster than he did. Once you both get it down, I'll teach you guys to walk on water."

She had been talking for nearly ten minutes and only when she said that, did he actually give a reaction. His eyes went wide and he looked intrigued.

"Yes. Naruto uses his Kage Bunshin to read everything that he was supposed to read during the Academy days. They do the reading and when they dispel, the knowledge they learned returns to  _him_. It's an easy way for me to get him caught up. He also likes the fact that he doesn't have to do, 'boring' reading."

Sasuke chose a room as she was talking and she leaned against the door, watching as he placed his bags on the bed in the far corner.

"So, we have access to the Shinobi Library, since we are Academy students. A lot of them don't know that though. Still, we have problems because they know who Naruto is, so he uses a Henge when we go shopping or to the library. Since I already knew about his mother, I had him model the form after her. He dyed his hair red so that he could be more like her. No one has figured out who he is yet and we'd like to keep it that way.

I asked Naruto to teach you his true transformation, trust me, it's awesome. He really  _turns into_  the object and he taught me how. It took me two months to get it.

I know a small jutsu that allows me to copy things into scrolls and we'll be using that to get you some Katon Jutsu. Since we aren't actually shinobi yet, we aren't allowed to remove things from the library. But I can copy things down just fine.

I want to start on learning some jutsu before we graduate. It could be a surprise for our sensei when we get tested. We'll go get the litmus paper needed to check our chakra natures later. I'm sure you're fire but I could be wrong. It would just be best for us to learn jutsu for our main element first, than to try something else. Is that okay with you?"

"Hn. Is this an everyday thing with you two? Do you ever take breaks?"

She shrugged, "We do nothing big at school and Ichiraku's is pretty calm. Naruto just wants to get caught up and is always ready for training. He needs help in Taijutsu. Both of us can't do Genjutsu, but I'm working on teaching him how to get out of a Genjutsu though. That will at least help us in the long run."

Sasuke was frowning at the ground. "I can't do Genjutsu either. I prefer Taijutsu and Ninjutsu."

Hikari nodded. It sounded like their team would be frontliners. Straight hitters.

She didn't feel bad about leaving Sakura out of it, because the girl was too immature. She'd drop the suggestion for Medical Training, but Hikari wasn't so sure that Sakura would never do it, without proper motivation. It took Naruto and Sasuke being severely injured and her being defenseless, for her to wake up to reality. That wouldn't happen this time.

Hikari was changing everything. Hell, she was planning to go and talk to Hiashi Hyuga about Neji. She was going to be redoing the Naruto world in her way. It was her dream after all.

Sakura was not a prevalent factor in the Naruto world until Shippuden came around. And even then, details about what she was involved in were over exaggerated. Chiyo made the killing blow for Sasori. Sakura was knocked down by a cut and had to be healed by Kabuto. Sakura nearly died against Sasuke. It went on and on. The only time she really made a difference in anything, in Hikari's book at least, was actually during the war. Other than that, some sporadic healings and creating big craters in the ground did not do much to help. Looked cool yes, but besides the Kankuro thing, nothing she did before the war seemed all too amazing.

She wasn't a Sakura hater, but she always did find her annoying. The constant need to hit Naruto and belittle him. The  _fangirlism_! It was all too much and very annoying.

At that moment in time, Sakura was useless. Maybe in three or four years she wouldn't be. But at that very moment, she was a pathetic excuse of a wannabe kunoichi.

"We seem to be a power team. Skills or abilities for fighting that are above average. You have your Sharingan, which will help you copy jutsu, learn Taijutsu styles, interpret movements and do many other things the stronger it gets. Naruto has what seems to be a never-ending well of chakra to supply him.  _I_  am extremely fast and am working on Kenjutsu and Taijutsu most.

We're fighters. We aren't the kind who can sit back and do nothing."

Sasuke nodded. "I detest being idle," he grumbled.

"Laziness pisses me off as well."

The two shared a look and rolled their eyes. Hikari pushed off the door and turned to leave, "Come on. We have training to do."

* * *

Hikari jumped back, dodging the swift attack that came for her head.

It had been a peaceful walk home from the library, when she encountered Neji.

"Good afternoon, Neji-hime."

That did it. He glared at her and charged. She managed to get away, though she did notice he was a lot faster than before. Almost six months since she last saw him.

They went from the civilian streets, to a random training ground where Hikari set her things down and faced him for real.

He was ferocious, Byakugan blazing as he tried his best to hit her. He was not sloppy in form, nor did he misstep, but his anger was obviously detracting from his speed.

She evaded him at every turn, not really attacking him, just letting him wear himself out. Why should she bother if he couldn't hit her anyway?

This continued on for several moments, until he finally yelled at her to fight back.

"Why should I? I'm defending here,  _you're_  the one who wants to fight so badly."

"Because I want to defeat you!"

"But you said last time that I was destined to win. So if it's obviously fated that I will win every time we battle, why bother fighting me at all? Since you  _do know_  that I'm going to win, right?"

Neji froze and stared at her with wide eyes. Finally, he scoffed and turned, leaving the training grounds.

* * *

Hikari stared at the two ninja in front of her.

"Pardon me, but which of you is higher in rank?" she asked the two men.

The one on the left side of the gate rose his hand slowly and she smiled, Before looking to the ma on the right. "I wanted to ask if you could possibly take me to your clan Head, Hiashi-sama?"

Both men snickered, very unHyuga like actions by the way, and the one she spoke to asked, "What would a little thing like you possible need to say to Hiashi-sama?"

Hikari shrugged, not taking their reactions to heart.

"Well, it concerns Hiashi-sama's nephew, Neji."

They stopped laughing, suddenly looking very serious. She didn't know why, but she just hoped that her plan went alright.

"You see, Neji is a prodigy. He knows it and makes sure the everyone around him knows it. He has issues. Like, really, noticeable issues.

Lately, he's been acting odd. I'm the only person who seems to be worried about it though. Gai-sensei claimed that it was Neji just showing his...uh…'flames of youth'."

They winced in unison and she grinned inwardly. They knew of Gai and what he was like. Good.

"Normally, I wouldn't dare stick my nose into someone's business," she said, lying through her teeth. "But Neji's problems are starting to negatively affect missions. Clients are unimpressed with his attitude and I'm the only one who asked him if something was wrong, but he insisted that he was fine. I don't think he's telling the truth. I thought that if I told Hiashi-sama what has been going on with Neji, he'd be able to get Neji the help he needs. Neji doesn't like admitting that he needs help, but I don't think his mental health can handle whatever it is."

The men shared what seemed to be a worried look, before the one Hikari was primarily speaking to, started for the house. "I'll go ask Hiashi-sama if he wishes to hear your story, please remain here until I return."

It didn't take too long. Actually, only a couple of minutes before Hikari was taken into the Hyuga Compounds' Main Estate. She was escorted into the large house and far into the building, before she was left standing before a large shoji screen. The Hyuga knocked twice on it, before sliding it open and motioning her inside.

Hikari did as he wanted and bowed deeply at the waist.

The Hyuga backed away and closed the door.

Hikari felt a brief moment of unease. It really couldn't have been  _that_ easy to get an audience with the Head of a clan, was it?

Hiashi Hyuga looked at her for a solid minute and she met his gaze evenly. After what felt like minutes, he gestured for her to sit.

She knelt slowly, pulling the book in her pocket out as she did so.

"Hiashi-sama, I am Mizumi Hikari," she introduced herself, placing her hands on the floor and bowing once more.

"I was informed that you are one of my nephew's teammates and that you have some concerns, Mizumi-san. What be they?"

Hikari smiled a little and said, "Actually, I never said I was on his team, I made it sound like I was though. But that's neither here nor there, sir."

His pale, pupiless eyes(really creepy when looking at them directly) narrowed at her.

"You see sir, I have fought Neji Hyuga in a Taijutsu only spar with his Byakugan activated,  _twice_ and won both times."

The Head Hyuga's eyebrows jumped up.

"The first spar was enlightening. I learned what kind of person Neji was that day. He seems to be too wrapped up in the thought of fate and destiny. He basically told me I was nothing and that I wasn't a threat and when I called him a princess, he attacked. Needless to say, I trounced him easily."

Hiashi looked confused. Probably at the possibility that Neji had lost to someone who wasn't a Hyuga.

"I noticed that Neji does not like you, Hinata or anyone in the Main Branch. I will tell you this right now, sir, you should make sure the women of your clan don't talk about clan matters outside the Compound. I've overheard things that are none of my business and I was able to piece together everything, just by what I know and what he told me in our following argument."

Hiashi looked pissed when she said that. "What do you know?" he asked in a low tone.

"I know about the Hyuga Soke no Juinjutsu, about the Cadet Branch. Your twin brother Hizashi and his sacrifice for you, Hinata's kidnapping which resulted in Hizashi's death in the end. Seriously, people need to learn to stop talking about matters that don't concern them."

Hiashi's hands were clenched into fists.

"Sir, do you want to know about a flaw I found in your seals for the Cadet Branch?"

"I wasn't aware that there were flaws."

" _Oh_ , there is! A big one too. Hold on a moment, please," she said, opening the book in her hands and flipping through the pages until she found what she was looking for.

"This book, is Kumogakure's Bingo Book. Cost me quite a few Ryo to get it, but it's worth it."

She turned to book to face the Hyuga Head and gestured to the picture of the man in green with an eye patch.

"This man, is named Ao. He is personal bodyguard to the new Mizukage and was a former Anbu of Kirigakure. He's well known in Kumo and Iwa for good assassination skills. He's going for ten million Ryo in Iwa, which is pretty high for them. He's a skilled Sensor and is rumored to have a Byakugan, which is covered by the eye patch and kept safe by the seals on his earrings."

Hiashi took the book and stared at the picture for a moment.

Hikari continued on. "So, if he really does have a Byakugan, how did he get it? The Hyuga Soke no Juinjutsu is only placed on Cadet Branch members and only activates  _when they die_. I don't understand that part, because, just because someone is part of the Main Branch, does not mean that they are better or stronger.

Not to be mean, But Hinata isn't like Neji. She never will be. Neji is better as far as skill goes and it will always be that way.

Putting the seal on a Cadet member isn't doing anything to help protect the Byakugan. What makes you so sure that an enemy won't rip the Byakugan out while the Hyuga is still breathing?"

The faint horrified look on Hiashi's face, proved that he was listening.

"If the Main Branch is as great as they say they are, why do they even need a seal? Why do they need to be protected if they are better? There is no point to it. An enemy can take the eyes of a Main or Cadet Branch member before killing them, making the seal worthless.

In the end, it's just a weapon of torture. Neji hates you, because he thinks you like to enslave the Cadet Branch. He feels that he is a slave and will never get to make his own decisions in life, because of the seal. He told me that if he disobeyed even once, you'd activate the seal and kill him through unimaginable pain. He thinks you don't care about him and to be honest, I would assume the same."

KI started to roll off Hiashi as she said that. She shivered, but plowed right on. No point in stopping when she was so far in already.

"Think of it. He's all you have left of your brother. You never talk to him, do you? Do you know anything about him? He doesn't know the truth behind his father's death. He thinks you ordered him to take your place. Neji is so angry, that he takes his hatred on the Main Branch, out on everyone he meets. Hinata suffers the most. She can't do anything to him and would never tell you how mean he is to her and the horrible things he calls her. He can get away with it with  _her_. He doesn't try it with you, because he thinks you'll kill him.

Seriously, his attitude needs to be dealt with. And soon.

Also, another thing that bothers me is, who decided that Hizashi was to be in the Cadet Branch? You and he were both born of the Main Branch, so why didn't he remain in the Main Branch? You have two children and you have not given your second the seal and made her a Cadet Branch member, even though she's second born and has passed the age of marking."

Hikari was having fun, twisting Hiashi into knots. He seemed so confused and with every point she brought up, he would get even more confused. There was silence in the study.

"I...I hadn't thought of it like that."

It was quietly murmured, but she heard it anyway.

"I know. The seal is pointless. The reason people considered the Uchiha clan better, was because they didn't segregate half their family and make them slaves. You don't need a seal and you don't need to be two separate houses. If you don't want to remove the seals from every Cadet Branch member, then at least do it for Neji. He quite obviously is a Main Branch member and never deserved such a thing to be done to him. Tell him about his father. Help him.

And in the long run, help your eldest. Hinata may not be physically strong, but power isn't what makes a leader. It's when someone has something to protect, that they become truly strong. And she has someone. A lot of someones. She wants the Hyuga clan to be one happy family. She wants things to change. I guarantee you, Hinata is on friendly terms with everyone in the Hyuga clan, but you, her sister and Neji. Everyone else loves her. She knows their names and families. Who they were named for, when their birthdays are, when their children are due. She connects with them. To me, that confidence in her family and unperturbed intuitiveness makes her more qualified to be a leader, than Hanabi, who is too hotheaded and aggressive in most situations to pay attention to anything."

Hikari stood then, shaking herself off from sitting for too long. The sky was getting dark.

"I've said my piece. I hope you think about what I said. If you choose not to listen to anything I have told you, you will only prove Neji right in thinking that you are a taskmaster who enjoys subjugating his family and causing them pain. Good evening, Hiashi-sama."

She left quickly, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. Before he decided that he was angry at her for opening her mouth and speaking her mind.

She waved to the gate guards on the way out and smiled like nothing was the matter. They slowly returned the action and she continued on her way.

Hopefully, her revelations would change his bloody mind. These were things she had always wondered about the Hyuga clan. And now she was going to see how her questions and observations played out in the story line. If all went well, Neji would no longer have a stick up his ass by the time the Chunin Exams came around.

* * *

"So I just have to run my chakra through it?"

"Channel, Naruto. You are going to  _channel_  your chakra inside it."

The redhead shrugged and took the litmus paper in hand. Sasuke was silent as he accepted his paper. Hikari looked at her own. She already knew Sasuke's and Naruto's chakra natures, but she didn't know her own. It was kind of exciting to think about. She just hoped that it wasn't wind. She wasn't Naruto, who could create a thousand Kage Bunshin to help her train. She would take years upon years.

Sasuke's paper crinkled, showing his Lightning nature. The tips burned and then it caught fire, before flying away in ashes.

Naruto's paper split down the middle and he grinned, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

Hikari focused on her own paper and channeled her chakra through it very slowly. Her heart was pounding in her ears. This was it.

Her stomach dropped when half the paper crumbled and then became wet. Earth and Water. Odd combination. But they weren't Wind, which was great.

Sasuke smirked, "As a team, we have all chakra natures. Interesting."

"I wonder if there are combination jutsu we can learn," Hikari voiced aloud, thinking. "That would be so cool. Or we could just make our own. The three of us are pretty smart and Naruto's ability to create a prank out of nothing could contribute to creating jutsu."

"I copied the book in the library the deal with training chakra natures."

Hikari fumed to herself. Why the hell didn't Kakashi go and get the fucking book in the manga? If the book was here, he could have just used that instead of sending poor Naruto everywhere in the village. Naruto even lost money over that!

She flipped open the book and searched for a few moments. "Okay, Sasuke-san, you will be using a stick. Channel your Fire Chakra into it and keep trying until it catches fire. Repeat this process several times until you can do it with a simple brush of a finger. Until you can do it without touching the stick. That is going to be hard.

For Lightning, you will take a non chakra conducive kunai and channel your Lightning Chakra through it. Repeat the process until you can visibly see the chakra running along the blade. Practice."

Sasuke nodded and moved to his own section of the training grounds to begin what would possibly be a long process.

Hikari looked at Naruto and said, "Take a leaf and channel your Wind Chakra through it. Once it splits in two equal parts, you have succeeded. After that, find a waterfall and proceed to disrupt the flow of water with Wind Chakra only."

Naruto jumped up and shouted, "YATTA!"

"You can use your Kage Bunshin for this, like with Tree Climbing, don't forget it."

He gave a three finger salute and ran for the trees, creating several Kage Bunshin as he went.

Hikari looked to the book and read up on  _her_  natures.

_Water: Channel Water Chakra into a piece of normal paper, until it becomes wet. Practice._

_Earth: Channel Earth Chakra into a palm sized rock until it crumbles. Practice._

Feeling particularly adventurous and wondering if there was any advantage to trying to manipulate two chakra natures at once, Hikari set to it. A piece of paper in her left hand and a rock in her right.

Her left hand was full of a really cool feeling. Like a nice breeze on a really hot summer day. Like swimming in a pool. Like the chill she used to get when drinking an ICEE on a warm day and the shivers she'd get as the cold raced through her heated body. It was a nice feeling.

In her right hand, she felt…..stubborn? Was that the right way to describe it? She was pretty sure that Fire would feel warm and Lightning would feel excited and energetic. But for Earth and Wind, she had no idea.

It wasn't hard like Earth should be. It felt more unmoving than anything else. So, stubborn was a good word to describe it.

The paper abruptly became wet and she dropped it. Soggy paper was nasty.

The second after, the rock crumbled to dust in her other palm.

Hikari stared at the hands in confusion. Naruto took at least three days with thousands upon thousands of clones and soldier pills. She wasn't able to do that for her own training, so it was supposed to be ensured that it would take months, years even! Kakashi had even told Naruto is could take years. So why had it been so fast for Hikari?

Kakashi obviously had perfect chakra control, but he admitted to taking a while to train in his natures. Hikari had great chakra control, that was it. She didn't have any other talents except maybe quick intelligence and with and her speed.

These were things that Kakashi also had. So what was it that made her get it so fast?

She fished for another piece of paper and tried the exercise again. It became dark as the wetness appeared. She sneered and dropped that piece too. It was biodegradable, so it was okay to leave it there.

She found another rock and filled it with her Earth Chakra. Just like the previous one, it crumbled away.

The kunoichi in training sighed in annoyance and sat in the grass, hands folded in front of her face, making a bridge with her elbows resting on her knees.

This wasn't fair. Where was the challenge? The only things that had been challenging for her since she decided to become a ninja, were the Taijutsu and Kenjutsu.

Ninja life was supposed to be grueling and challenging. Was she like some sort of prodigy? Oh Kami no! Prodigies were usually disliked for being better than others. When people couldn't catch up to then, they were usually excluded from events, because people were jealous of them. And then there was a lack of challenge.

All Hikari wanted was to be a Jonin. Strong enough so that people wouldn't accuse her of using her soon to be harem as guards. She wanted to be able to stand on her own. The harem was something she had always wanted and the Naruto world had many attractive male specimens. She already knew who she wanted to be in her harem. Life was easy when you knew what you wanted.

As she was thinking, she was so far away in her thoughts, she never noticed what was going on with her hands.

Only when something big, brown and green blocked her vision, did she finally take notice of the large brown vine like things wrapped around her connected hands.

The vines were curled around both hands and met up in the middle where the twisted around each other, leading up to a large ball of green with little pink dots. Upon closer inspection, Hikari gasped, realizing that there was a Bonsai Tree wrapped around her hands and it was sprouting tiny pink flowers.

She looked close, to see that the 'vines' were coming from her palms, which were no longer connected!

A tree grew from her hands. But there were no jutsu hat could do that. Of course there was Mokuton, but she wasn't related to the Senju. Besides, that skill was known only to  _Hashirama Senju_  and all those who used it after him, had some of his DNA in their bodies.

Her eyes went wide as the implication of what had just happened, reached her. She couldn't be related to the Senju, which could only mean…

She was on her feet instantly, bounding away.

"Hikari-chan! Where are you going?!" she heard Naruto yell from behind her.

Briefly, she felt Deja vu after the exact repeat of a similar situation from a month prior.

"I'm going to talk to the Hokage!"

"Why?!" Both Naruto and Sasuke said as she got further away from the house.

"I'll tell you when I get back!" she yelled in return.

Hikari entered her bedroom to quickly grab her coat and then jumped from the window. Doors were for people with no imagination.

She used her mouth to drop the coat over her hands, because she had no idea how to make the mini ree go away and she was pretty sure letting people see it wasn't good.

When she got to the Hokage's office, she was lucky enough to catch someone coming out. Shikaku Nara, Head of the Nara Clan. Jonin Honsho. Born July fifteenth, age 38, blood type B. Ninja Registration Number 005491, liked deer, disliked working hard. Kami she needed a life.

The lazy man held the door open for her and she gave him a smile. "Thank you, sir."

"Mah."

Hikari ducked into the Hokage's office then and Shikaku closed the door behind her.

The old man behind the desk gave a long-suffering sigh. "Hello, Hikari-san. What can I help you with this time? Do you have any other orphans you wish to take in?"

"Oh, ha ha. I'm practically rolling around inside with laughter, Hokage-sama. No, this actually involves me, mostly."

He gestured to the chair and she sat before having a sigh.

"Sir, you do know that Uchiha Sasuke is obsessed with being strong so he can kill his brother, yes?"

He frowned, but nodded.

"Well, Sasuke is a bit of a flight risk. He wants power and doesn't care where he gets it from. He was angry to have to admit that he's been in the same place, power wise, for the last year and hasn't been going anywhere. So, I had him join Naruto and I in our training and then I decided, 'why not start big'? Not only will it help him, but Naruto and I as well."

The man waited patiently, allowing her to seek.

"So earlier today, I went and purchased some chakra litmus paper to test our affinities."

Eyes went wide immediately. "That's Jonin level training!" the Hokage gasped.

She shrugged. "Well, I figured if we knew now, we could start learning jutsu with our own natures instead of struggling with ones that opposes our natures. It just seemed better. Besides, Sasuke and Naruto have already caught up to me in terms of Tree Climbing and Water Walking. We need other things to train in, not just Taijutsu, you know?"

"Three Academy students in their final year, have already mastered Chunin level skills?" Hiruzen gaped, shaking his head slightly.

"Yes, well….Sasuke has Lightning and Fire, Naruto has Wind and I have Water and Earth."

She let that sink in for a moment. Two non Genins had two chakra affinities already and the last had one that was rare in Hi no Kuni.

"Here's where my problem comes in. I got the exercises in the book for the mastering the nature, down immediately."

Sarutobi sputtered, " _How_  is that a problem?!"

"Well I was confused, because I read that it would be hard and possibly take years. But it didn't. So I sat down to think about why it was easy and I put my hands together. Next thing I know... **BAM**!"

And with that exclamation, she shifted her arms until the jacket fell to the floor and her entwined hands were visible to the old Hokage.

The man choked on air and was over the desk way too fast for a man his age. He was standing in front of her, bent over and staring at the little tree that was about half a foot high.

He looked up and snapped his fingers, "Get me Neko and then vacate the room!"

There was a black blur that shot out the window.

As they waited, Hiruzen asked her several questions and she answered as best as she could. He placed a silencing seal on the room in the meantime.

There was a loud poof and Hikari turned slightly to see an Anbu with a cat mask standing there. And she knew that mask and hair. Yamato. Actually it was Tenzo, since Yamato was the name Tsunade gave him. Currently age 23, born August 10th, Ninja Registration Number: 010992 and he liked walnuts and architecture and disliked oily food. If he was brought in, shit got serious.

"Ah, yes. Please remove your mask, Tenzo. This young lady is Mizumi Hikari. She has just uncovered a very rare talent and if it truly is in her blood, I will need your help."

Hikari stood from her chair and turned to face the man, hands within sight as she bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Tenzo's odd eyes, went wide upon seeing the tree.

"She was working on her chakra affinities, which are Water and Earth and when she put her hands together this happened. She can't get it to recede. Could you help her please?"

Tenzo stared for a minute, before nodding. He lightly touched her hands and they all watched as the 'vines' separated and receded into her palms, which she looked at, wondering how it had happened.

"Thank you, Tenzo." the Sandaime smiled.

"Hikari-san, We're going to have to run some blood tests. It was a good thing you came to me first. Did anyone see your hands before you came here?"

She shook her head, still watching her clear palms.

"We'll have to get the Anbu Medic in here. Tenzo, please stay with her, I will return shortly."

The two people remaining in the office looked at one another, the quiet not affecting either of them.

"Can you do the wood thing too?" she finally asked, trying to start a conversation. Tenzo was one of those naturally awkward people and in that moment, he looked just as awkward as she felt.

He nodded, "Yeah."

"So, have you been an Anbu for long?"

He did not answer that, but it wasn't liked she cared. She already knew he'd been in Anbu for more than ten years. Which was fucking long on shinobi standards.

"Is Shunshin hard to do?"

"Uh...not for me really. I guess for younger ninjas it may be. How old are you?"

"Twelve. I'll be graduating in a few months."

"Ah."

Luckily, they were saved by the Hokage, who decided in was time to come back and relieve the awkward tension in the room.

There was a dark-haired man with him. Hikari didn't recognize this person and remained still and silent as the older people spoke of what happened.

She was taken through a procedure soon and had to give up blood and fucking bone marrow. That hurt like hell! Her hip was throbbing from that part! Whatever the hell they shot her with, didn't work and she felt  _the whole thing_. Ugh! When they realized that she was unaffected, Tenzo had to restrain her via Mokuton.

She glared heartily at the man as he prepared slides and set up a few microscopes. She had no idea what he was looking for and resorted to rubbing her hand across her sore hip. They took marrow from her pelvis. Of all the places. Of course she didn't really want to let them near her chest, so it would have to do.

Tenzo had to go through the same process as Hikari and together, they waited for the Med Ninja to do what he was doing. Tenzo was emotionless and Hikari was still glaring, nearly frothing at the mouth.

The man, whom Hikari found out was named Shin, looked up and sighed.

"Hokage-sama, there are similar components in their blood and bone marrow. Too similar. In fact, they are nearly identical. Most likely, she's another result of Orochimaru's experiments. He didn't finally leave the village until eleven years ago, so it's entirely possible. I would have to take more time to fully dissect everything, but for now, we'll assume that she was a successful experiment, much like Tenzo-senpai. Does she have parents?"

The Hokage shook his head, "She is an orphan and attends the Academy."

The man nodded lightly.

Hiruzen looked at Hikari and then Tenzo. "Tenzo could you please demonstrate something for her to mimic? If she can replicate the ability, then she will need training on the side."

With a nod, Tenzo looked at Hikari and raised his right hand. "Earth." He then raised his left, "Water." Slapping them together, he said, "Mokuton Bunshin."

From his head came a long strip of wood that filled out until it was as large as him and began to take form until it looked exactly like him.

She studied the Anbu's hands for a moment, before copying his movements and making sure she had a good amount of chakra focused into her palms as they came together. "Mokuton Bunshin."

Just like with Tenzo, a Bunshin made of wood appeared. She poked it a few times and grinned widely. Cool! And she didn't feel like collapsing!

"Hikari-san, do you have any training that strictly needs your attention, or do you have free time to train this?" Hiruzen asked.

"I can steadily increase my weights without issue. My Taijutsu is okay, but I wanted to focus most on my Kenjutsu. I can make sacrifices if you want me to."

The Sandaime smiled, "Luckily for you, Tenzo is one of the best Anbu I have. He has many advanced skills including Kenjutsu. Who was formerly teaching you Kenjutsu?"

"Hayate-sensei."

"I'll make sure he is informed, worry not. As for now, you two will be seeing each other every day. Though the possibilities of how this gift came upon you, Hikari, are not good, it's still something we cannot ignore. I apologize, but you must be trained."

She shrugged. She  _had_ wanted to be powerful and a Kekkei Genkai would help her get there.

"It's okay, sir."

"Also, do not tell anyone. Perhaps Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san could know, but make sure they promise not to tell anyone. They might feel left behind however."

"Sasuke-san has his Sharingan already, sir. But don't tell anyone. We're keeping it a secret."

The Hokage gaped.

"As for Naruto, well…..the villagers aren't subtle and when you put all the facts about him together, you can figure it out. I told him."

The old ninja coughed into his hand, "Told him? As in….he knows about the…?"

"Yes. He was emotional at first but a very boisterous and insistent denial of him every possibly being a monster coming from Sasuke and then Sasuke telling him that he was  _just Naruto_ , kind of snapped him out of it. If anything, he likes that he has so much chakra as a result."

"So he knows he's a Jinchuuriki?"

"Yep, terms and all. I like research."

The man sat in his chair and sighed, shaking his head and removing the Kage hat. "Such much has happened since you arrived, Hikari-san. I find myself wondering what new great thing you are going to come in her to tell me about."

Hikari couldn't help but grin. She was changing things hopefully for the better. Of course the Mokuton wasn't planned, but it could help in the end.

"You never know what could happen, sir."

"Such is the way of ninja," the man sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Well Tenzo, I am assigning you to Hikari-san for an unforeseen amount of time. You will meet each day at a spot of your choice. She needs to develop her skills as soon as possible. Try to keep this from prying eyes. Danzo hasn't yet heard of her defeat of Rokusho Aoi and we can't afford to have him sticking his head in this. This will be considered an A-rank mission and you'll be paid monthly, by me personally."

Tenzo bowed, "Of course Hokage-sama."

Hikari mimicked his actions, "Thank you for helping me, sir."

"It was my pleasure, have a good evening you two."

They left the office after Hikari fetched her jacket.

"Where should we meet tomorrow?" she asked.

"The Uchiha Compound. People never go there. What time is good for you?"

"After class? Hm...I could meet you at four and stay until nine. We usually eat late at Ichiraku's."

"Very well then. I will meet you outside the gate of the compound tomorrow afternoon. Pleasant evening to you, Mizumi-san."

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto bombarded her with questions when she stepped foot in the door.

"Well, it turns out that I have an ability. Sasuke, you have a Kekkei Genkai called the Sharingan. Naruto, you have the strongest Biju with unlimited amounts of chakra that allow you to keep pumping out chakra, sealed within you. And I just found out that I have a Kekkei Genkai."

Sasuke's eyes widened, "What is it? What clan are you from?"

"Not a clan, I was an experiment that was unknown to have been a success. The S-rank nuke nin, Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin, kidnapped me as a child and injected me with the Shodaime Hokage's DNA. I can use Mokuton, which is a mix of Water and Earth."

Both boys frowned at her words and she sighed. "I'm not really angry, just annoyed. That guy is a creep. He kidnapped children before and experimented on them. Me and one other survived. And the other is much older and will be training me in how to use it, because it's so rare and all."

Sasuke twitched at that and Naruto sniffed.

"Well Sasuke, when we come Genin, we'll have to find Hatake Kakashi and ask him to teach you how to use your Sharingan. He has one. I'll lend you my Kumogakure Bingo Book. He's in it and going for a lot of money. He earned the title, Sharingan no Kakashi like ten years ago and he was taught by the Yondaime, so he should be a good teacher for you."

That settled him instantly.

"And Naruto, there is someone I have in mind who could possibly help you with the Kyubi. He visits the village every fall or so. I know what he looks like and I could ask him for you."

The redhead beamed, "Thanks, Hikari-chan!"

She sighed in relief. Crisis averted.

**A/N: Another one done. *NOTE* I don't hate Sakura, but unfortunately in my eyes, she didn't become cool and amazing until Shippuden and even then, she was still far behind and barely made ripples in the pond until the war. In the beginning, she was worthless. She will not just be cast aside, however. *NOTE***

****I wanted the new Team 7 to each have something amazing. So, Sasuke- Sharingan. Naruto- Kyuubi. Hikari- Mokuton. While it's coll that she has it, remember, she was an experiment. Information on when Orochimaru left the village is never clear, so I made it up.** **

**Let me know what you though in a respectful manner, please?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted the new Team 7 to each have something amazing. So, Sasuke- Sharingan. Naruto- Kyuubi. Hikari- Mokuton. While it's coll that she has it, remember, she was an experiment. Information on when Orochimaru left the village is never clear, so I made it up.


	5. Continued Training and Telling Sasuke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training hard and Sasuke learns important info.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hikari spins some good truth into her lie of 'knowing things' in order to tell Sasuke that Itachi was innocent without fighting involved.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

Two months. She had been training under Tenzo for two months. And it was…fun?

It was hard to explain. Tenzo was a very open person, as far as she could remember from watching and reading Naruto. However, he was on a mission and 'acting normal' was part of the requirements. Also, he had to work closely with Naruto and his team because he could help control the Kyubi. So, when you're around someone for so long, you begin to get used to them. And then you start to worry and eventually you care.

In the beginning, he was extremely awkward with Team Kakashi and didn't really know how to act. And when things got hard, he used  _the face_. That creepy one where he tilted his head down a bit and light would somehow hit only certain parts of his face, making him looking like a phantom with wide almond eyes. Creepy as fuck in real life too.

Well, just like when he was assigned to Team Kakashi, he was awkward. And Hikari was only twelve. Though technically she was a twenty-seven year old woman in a twelve-year-old body. Still, physically she wasn't mature yet. Naruto, Sakura and Sai were at least sixteen when they met Yamato and seemed to be closer to adult size which most would then assume that they could understand adult situations.

Hikari was small, though she was an inch taller than Naruto. Hikari wasn't even a ninja yet. Most would translate that to  _not experienced_. Technically she had experience, but not much. Still, it was better than being uninformed.

Tenzo, was uncomfortable when they met up for the first time. He silently led her to the training grounds of the Uchiha Compound and began a very long speech about Mokuton. It all sounded very scripted to her. He was stiff and his shoulders were tensed. He needed to lighten up.

So in the middle of his really long monologue, she interrupted him and challenged him to a spar.

The look her gave her, could only be described as him questioning her intelligence.

She gave him a half-hearted shrug and said in defense, "You're uncomfortable and you need to loosen up. You're also an Anbu member and I want to see how you do in Taijutsu. I've been sparing the three same people for the last two years and a new style to fight would be appreciated. I've gotten used to their movements and can anticipate their attacks based solely on their footwork. Also, I'm faster than all of them and I'd like to fight an opponent who is faster than me. Keep me on my toes for when I eventually do fight someone faster than me, you know?"

He still has said nothing and just stared at her.

She sighed. "Think of it like this. I've defeated the Uchiha, with his Sharingan activated, every spar. I've defeated the Genius Genin of the Hyuga Family, with Byakugan activated, in every spar. Naruto doesn't really have enough training in Taijutsu to pose a threat at the moment, but I'm working on that. I need to utilize my skills against someone who is obviously stronger. You understand?"

He finally nodded...once.

"Good. Hopefully, you'll get into your comfort zone by the time you whoop my ass."

That earned her a small smirk.

He was no longer dressed like an Anbu. No, he looked like he did when he was Yamato. Jonin outfit to the max, without the Uzumaki swirls.

He looked relatively normal.

Anyway, because he wasn't dressed for Anbu, his evasion of her sudden attack looked far more skilled than it possibly was. She didn't understand why, but he seemed more powerful and imposing dressed the way he currently was, instead of the Anbu uniform and mask.

Tenzo easily dodged her punches and kicks and she knew it was time.

Five seconds in and she was already releasing the extra three hundred pounds that was holding her down. Her speed increased the moment the seals were released and she managed to actually touch him that time. Of course he was blocking her extended foot with his forearm, but a hit was a hit, compared to before where she couldn't keep up with his speed.

She could tell he had years of experience. Hell, he became a Chunin when he was six. She knew that he was skilled and it felt good to fight someone better. It was awesome.

Tenzo caught her right fist and lifted her off the ground, gripping her shirt tightly with his other hand and swinging her around once to throw her away from his body.

Luckily, Hikari was able to twist herself around in mid-air, so that she didn't land on her side or her back. Instead, she managed her feet, though there was a lingering stinging pain in her ankles from how hard she had landed.

She quickly shook her ankles off before charging again.

Hikari was a big fan of anime, manga, video games and cartoons. Anime and cartoons were two different things. People needed to realize that.

Anyway, she was always interested in fighting. Much more than romance, which would explain why Naruto, Bleach, Kekkaishi, Soul Eater and Avatar were at the top of her favorites list. And then there were the great fanfics that were derived from them of course.

Because of her love for the fighting and adventurous types of things, she had always studied certain moves. She wanted to know if they were just something created for fictional purposes or if they were actually possible. A lot of them were. With her knowledge of all the various shows she had seen and the real fighting she'd witnessed, alongside her cheer-leading practices, she was able to create her own Taijutsu form.

She had no name for it, not that she really wanted to name it. It meant that if someone heard about it and saw her use it, they'd get it in their minds that they could learn it as well and she didn't want that to happen. Really, it was her own form and she didn't want others to take it from her.

Also, it was nearly impossible for normal people or even ninja to actually pull it off. Being quadruple jointed and extremely limber were requirements to execute most moves.

_Thank you fantasy violence for helping me create an almost impossible style of fighting for me and only me._

The first move was a mix of what she had seen performed in Juken, what she knew of Dim Mak **(A/N: Martial Art that deals with pressure points. Usually deadly.)**  and what she knew was required to redirect lightning.

Her palm rushed forward and Tenzo easily moved to redirect her approaching hand. However, she quickly changed her attack until only her index and middle fingers were extended. With a burst of chakra in her extended fingertips, she hit a spot above his wrist, which he had used to defend himself from her assault. The wrist immediately went limp and when he realized what she had done, he distanced himself immediately. Fifty feet.

"How did you do that? I have chakra still, but I can't move my hand at the moment."

"Knowledge of Juken, don't look at me like that. The Hyuga members aren't very careful about where they practice or when they talk. Anyway, that and extensive knowledge of the human body and my own imagination. I can't see chakra points, but I do know where your pressure points are. Be warned, I do not use this tactic often. And you'll be waiting maybe an hour before you can use your hand again," she said, carefully fibbing in certain areas and covering it all up with some truth. Half-lies were always harder to detect, because they were also half-truths.

Seriously, knowing that she had succeeded in doing that against a member of the  _Anbu_ , made her giddy. She felt like Ty Lee from Avatar. Awesome.

So far, she managed to pull a Ty Lee. She had a list of other characters to mimic in some way. She'd have to pull a Byakuya Kuchiki soon. That was important.

Tenzo was giving her an assessing look over. He seemed to be very deep in his thoughts, until  _he moved_.

And then she was on strict defensive with no chance in hell of attempting to get a hit in. Seriously, if that was Anbu speed, he was a beast. Maybe he was faster than Lee or Gai. Or maybe at least  _as fast as_  them. Yeah, those two trained only in Taijutsu and Tenzo did other things with his time.

As it was, his speed was ridiculous. It was something she wanted to have some day. If she was going to get her harem underway, speed was a necessity and she couldn't afford to be slow. It may mean her life one day, if her actions got someone too angry of course.

With speed like his, he was able to put more force into his hits. That's what made his Taijutsu so fucking scary.

She was able to bring her right arm up to guard her face just in time to protect her cheek(and teeth most likely) from the kick he launched. Her arm was filled with a sudden pain and she was lifted off her feet and sent careening across the training ground. Her body landed harshly and she lay there for a moment, trying to get her thoughts together.

Damn!

"Are you ready to start training now?"

She rolled over, gasping at how her right arm seriously hurt. It was like a burn, a sting and something else all at once. Moving it hurt like hell and she was pretty sure that it was broken. Shit.

Hikari moved to her feet, cradling her arm to her chest. Tenzo was looking a lot more loose, but when he saw her holding her arm in such a way, his eyes went wide(cue the creepy look) and he began stuttering out apologies and saying that he was going to take her to the hospital.

She shrugged and allowed him to gently pick her up(with his left hand and arm because the right was still out of commission) and Shunshin them to the hospital, where luckily, there was no wait for a Mid Ninja to see to her.

When the Hyuga saw her and her arm, he asked how much force was used and Tenzo laughed embarrassedly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly and finally gave the man an estimate.

"Why were you two even fighting?"

Hikari shrugged, "I'm an Academy student and I thought I would get a better grasp of my skill if I fought someone stronger, since I'm the best in my year for Taijutsu." Mainly because she was fastest, but she didn't tell him that.

"Next time, tone it down please? And what is wrong with  _your_ hand?" the man asked Tenzo, looking at the limp extremity expectantly.

Tenzo laughing again, "She got one good hit in and I can't move it. She says I'll be fine in an hour though, so really it's okay."

"How did she stop its movement?"

Tenzo looked at her, making the Hyuga look at her.

She sighed, "Pressure points. Applying chakra to my fingers, I hit your pressure point. Very much like Juken, but since I obviously can't see the chakra network, I had to compensate for it. The chakra points on people could be minutely different, but pressure points are always the same. What good is chakra if you can't even move? Few possess skills to perform sealless jutsu."

The Hyuga was staring at her oddly and she stared right back.

"Have you ever considered going into Medical Ninjutsu?"

" _Nooooooo_. I am a frontline, hard-hitting, always got to fight kind of person. I can't handle staying back to heal people. Not that I don't have good chakra control, but I just can't handle no fighting. It's like I'm meant to be out front and nothing else will do."

The Hyuga sighed, "And you have high chakra reserves for an Academy student. If you ever feel like learning even the basics just in case, you can come here and search me out. I am Yuzura."

"I'll think about it."

After the healing and Tenzo apologizing even more, Hikari suckered him into buying her dango, which was hilarious because Tenzo hated paying for really anything. They then proceeded back to the Uchiha Compound to talk about training.

One long talk later, their training schedule was finally created and then they bade each other farewell.

Two months later, Tenzo was loose. Hikari would even go so far to say that he no longer looked constipated. He even laughed and joked every now and then.

Their training, was hilarious. Tenzo's love for architecture played a lot into their training. Why? Because it took skill and detail which could help her later on in life.

After the Mokuton Bunshin, came a whip, a barrier, a dome, a staircase, which she found really useful and many other things. Her ability to make trees grow was a lot better. She could make mini forests. By that, it was like twenty trees clumped pretty close together, but she still called it a forest. Unfortunately, they had to relocate to another Uchiha training ground after that. The trees got in the way.

Going on her third month, she demonstrated her abilities for her friends by expanding their house. She cut out a wall and proceeded to add onto the house. They now had an indoor training ground for weapon training. Yay. Naruto used Kage Bunshin to paint it so that the brown wouldn't detract from the rest of the houses' beauty.

Sasuke had managed to advance his Sharingan enough to catch high speeds. He could  _see_ her speed, but he wasn't fast enough to catch up to her. Bring on the weight seals. Naruto did not want to be left behind so he asked for weights too.

That day started the competition to see how quickly that could get used to the newly added weight. Once a week, they would add more, trying to outweigh the other. They were even, much to both their annoyance. Hikari laughed for days after it.

Hikari found something one day and it triggered a memory. She had been chosen to fetch something of Sasuke's from his room, since he and Naruto were in a deadlock and weren't moving any time soon. Well, she found what he needed, but she also saw his scrapbook of cat paw prints.

It was cute to realize how close he and Itachi had been once. She'd have to do something about that. Maybe use her 'ability' to work it all out. Yeah, that could work.

Anyway, she suddenly wanted a cat. Or an animal of some sort.

She contemplated the idea of getting an animal, for a week. And then her uncertainty was destroyed when she found a  _Liger Summoning Contract_  in the attic. After that, she found another two  _Summoning Contracts_. One for tigers and one for lions. Convenient and so bad ass it wasn't even funny. Aoi's family was a goldmine. Why the hell would he leave it all for a fucking light saber wannabe? He was nuts.

If Sasuke and Naruto decided to get other summons later on(Naruto with his toads most definitely), good for them. But there and then, summons would be  _so cool_.

She ran outside and interrupted their training asking which they liked more. Lions, Tigers or Ligers...oh my.

Naruto yelled lions, claiming 'king of the jungle' and all that. Sasuke said tigers because they were sleek and had unique markings. Hikari grinned, they both picked different things and she got the crossbreed summon!

She tossed them both the scrolls and grinned when they gaped.

"We are going to be the most kick ass Genin team to ever grace Konoha, just saying."

Needless to say, summoning took a lot of chakra. Luckily, they didn't faint. Naruto was okay the whole time but Sasuke had high Chunin chakra and was clearly exhausted. Hikari wasn't much better, even if she had higher reserves than he did.

Hikari's first summoning(instructed within the scroll of course) went very well.

The Liger that showed up, was much larger than the house and was named Kyo. He was orangish with darker orange stripes and he had red eyes. He was a bit rowdy and loud, but accepted her contract easily enough and made her swear to get powerful, because the Ligers wouldn't appreciate looking like fools next to a weak master.

Sasuke's summons were white with black stripes, lazy and preferred relaxing. Naruto's summons were prideful and made her think of Scar from Lion King. She laughed at the pun.

As was well.

* * *

He came out of nowhere! She hadn't been expecting him at all. She was relaxing and eating her dango, nothing to worry about. And then he showed up.

Neji Hyuga was leaning in her personal space and what caught her attention, was his lack of hitai-ate. And what else caught her attention, was his clear forehead.  _Clear forehead_.

Clear.

Forehead.

Holy shit!

Before she could say anything, her mouth was occupied. By Neji. By his own mouth.

When she started in surprise and moved to pull away, he held her fast and steady, not allowing her to break what was most likely, his first kiss. Well then, no one could say she didn't let it be memorable.

Using skills she had developed in life, she was able to separate his mouth and slide her tongue in. A small part in the back of her mind was screaming over the fact that she was Frenching Neji Hyuga. The rest of her, was too busy coaxing his tongue to play with her own.

There was a loud whistle and Neji pulled away suddenly, face flushed. Hikari was grinning lazily. It had been a long time since Hikari(Tamar) had been kissed, let alone gotten any.

Damn Neji. Well, at least getting him to join her harem might not be as hard as previously assumed.

"Any reason you chose to lay one on me in the presence of a shop full of dango lovers?"

"Hiashi-sama has abolished the Hyuga Soke no Juinjutsu and removed it from every Cadet Branch member. He claimed it was because of a talk he had with a certain Mizumi Hikari, with dark hair and eyes, who wore all black and was too informed for her own good."

"And you just assumed that it was me?"

He flushed deeper, "Actually, he took me aside and explained the event of my father's death. He said that you weren't a ninja yet, because you didn't have a hitai-ate and with the way he informed me about you knowing things because of the women of the clan being daft, I was most positive that it was you. And he also mention that you stated you defeated me in two spars. That solidified my belief that it was you."

"Okay, yes, it was me. But what was the kiss for?"

"Gratitude," he choked out, face still burning.

She smirked, "If that's how you express gratitude, then I wouldn't mind helping you out, Neji-hime."

"Why do you insist upon calling me that dreadful name?"

"Because that 'dreadful name' as you so eloquently put it, pisses you off to no end. Why shouldn't I use it? Besides, your hair is so much nicer than mine, so it fits."

Neji elegantly sat on the empty chair in front of her and mumbled something.

"Excuse me, what?" she said, placing a hand to her ear in exaggeration.

"I said that my hair isn't better than yours. I like yours more."

She stared at the Hyuga prodigy for a moment. "Do you have a hair fetish?"

He coughed and gave her a horrified look. "No!" he hissed.

"Good. I get enough crap from Sasuke about my hair, I don't need it from you. Some girls in the Academy found out that Sasuke liked long hair, so they all grew their hair out over the years, thinking he'd like them more. I thought it was just a baseless rumor, until he walked in on me holding scissors to my head. I've never heard someone complain about hair so much before. In the end, I trimmed the ends, instead of just chopping it off. Arguing more with Sasuke over the state of  _my_ hair, wasn't worth it."

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly. Briefly, she wondered if he didn't like Sasuke because he was an Uchiha or because he was also considered a prodigy, even if he hadn't really done prodigy like things. If that made sense.

"Why was the Uchiha in your house?"

She grabbed another stick of dango, "He lives with me."

Before Neji could comment, she continued with, "Some idiot, decided to let the sole survivor of a massacred clan, live in the compound where he saw his familys' dead bodies, strewn about the ground with blood dripping from the walls and all that nonsense. I wouldn't take it and Hokage-sama let him stay with Naruto and I."

An uncomfortable look came into Neji's eyes. She just shrugged shoving dango into her mouth.

"I want to challenge you to a spar."

She paused and looked at him. "What's the point if I'm destined to win?"

"I understand what you were doing. I understand everything now. You used reverse psychology on me, in hopes that I would abandon my beliefs in destiny. You were correct, I was trying to fight the 'fate' I thought was planned out for me. In the end, I was trying to convince myself more than anyone, that fate was real. I'm not completely changed mind you, but a lot better than before. And I apologized to my teammate for my uncouth attitude toward him."

"Yeah, Lee didn't deserve it."

For the millionth time, Neji's eyes narrowed.

"How did you know Lee was my teammate? And how did you know about Gai-sensei. Hiashi-sama said you tricked the guards into believing you were a member of my team."

She inwardly cursed and said, "Academy practice. Top kunoichi, Rookie of the Year and Dead Last. The two best are evened out by the worst. You were best, then Ten Ten and finally Rock Lee. Gai-sensei helped me get weights for my training two years ago. He's very youthful."

Silence...

...

...

...

"Will you spar with me now?"

* * *

Hikari had gone to the Hokage's office in order to tell him about her progress with Tenzo. Also, it was a couple of weeks till the Genin Graduation Exam and he wanted a report on how Naruto was doing.

She nearly fainted when she saw Danzo coming out of the old man's office. The man gave her a disinterested look and hobbled on his way. She breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he didn't find her interesting in the least.

She knocked on the Hokage's door and entered when he gave the call.

"Hello again, Hikari-chan."

"Good evening, Hokage-sama."

She sat in the chair and began to relay what they were doing as far as training. She didn't mention the summonings or the fact that Naruto learned two Futon **(A/N: Wind)**  Jutsu and Sasuke was up to like five Katon **(A/N: Fire)**  Jutsu. She could do two Suiton **(A/N: Water)**  and two Doton **(A/N: Earth)**. Mokuton **(A/N: Wood)**  didn't really count.

"We'll be on the same team for graduation."

"What makes you so sure of that?" the old Hokage asked looking amused.

"Sasuke and I are the top students and we got Naruto to agree to nearly fail this time so that we could be on the same team. It just works out best for us all. Besides, I don't think you'll break up the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, so none of them would possibly replace Naruto. The only others who could possibly work would be Hinata, Shino and Kiba, but they are trackers, so I'm sure you wouldn't break that up. Teamwork is important and all and Sasuke, Naruto and I already live and train together. It just works."

The old man was gaping, "Y-you, know about the team placement."

"Yes," she answered simply.

He smiled and then started to laugh. "Devious. If Naruto-kun is underestimated, he'll have the better advantage. And if you all are on the same team, you'll already know how to work together, because you live with each other and train together. Genius."

"Whoever our sensei is, please don't tell them about our living and training together, I want our skills to be a surprise."

The man nodded, "Very well then."

"You're awesome, Hokage-sama."

* * *

Hikari had put the act on before she reached the house. It was imperative that Sasuke believe her and failure was not an option.

When Naruto caught sight of her first, he gave a loud greeting, which cut off halfway when he saw how morose she looked.

Sasuke, noticing Naruto's sudden drop in cheer, also turned to see Hikari. Both boys where beside her in seconds.

"What happened?" Naruto asked, searching for injuries. Sasuke let out a simply, "Hn."

"You know how I  _know things_  about people?"

Nods.

"Well, it goes a bit deeper than that. I cast see parts of their pasts, you could say. It's how I know Naruto was a Jinchuuriki. I saw the night the Yondaime sealed the Kyubi into him. And as for Sasuke, I saw when his brother was telling him to get stronger and hate. His eyes were activated at the time. It's how I knew. Major events in the person's life kind of, come to me. Like mini movies, you know."

The boys looked at each other and nodded. "Speak," Sasuke murmured.

"Woof!" she barked in return.

"I saw a guy today, who…he… _Uchiha clan_."

She was doing pretty good. Especially since Sasuke's attention was completely fixated on her.

"What about the Uchiha?" he demanded.

"I looked at this mummy like guy and I saw a few things. His name is Shimura Danzo and he runs an illegal organization in Konoha that was supposed to have disbanded under orders of the Sandaime, years ago. He lied. Anyway, this organization, is called Ne **(A/N: Root)**  or sometimes, the Foundation. Danzo developed the Foundation as a way to help Konoha. He truly believes that his way is best for the village as a whole.

Ne members are a lot like Anbu. Or specialist Anbu. They dress the same and wear masks and everything.

The civilians are the leaves of the great tree. The shinobi are the branches that keep the leaves steady. The trunk is the Hokage, whose strength protects us all and whose will guides us. Finally there is Ne, or the Roots. Roots are responsible for gathering nourishment and establishing strong support to keep the Great Tree upright. The Great Tree is Konoha. Leaves are civvies, branches are shinobi, the trunk is the Hokage and underneath it all in the darkness, supporting us but unknown to us, is Root, the Foundation.

The Sandaime doesn't know Ne still exists.

Anyway, Ne consists of war orphans or certain children that exhibit certain abilities, who disappear suddenly and can be moulded into weapons. Ne follows Danzo's orders only. They are loyal to him, not the Hokage or Konoha, only Danzo. Danzo places cursed seals on every member so they can't tell anyone about him or the organization. If an order is given, they must follow it.

The training is brutal. Two children are placed together where they grow up together, training and defeating enemies as they go. Until finally, to earn a place in Ne, they are turned against one another in a life or death battle. This is done to kill emotions and sentimental attachment, making them like mindless drones."

Naruto blanched, eyes becoming wet. Sasuke seemed mortified.

"It's a practice modeled after Kirigakure's former Genin Graduation Exam. It's terrible.

Anyway, I see this Danzo guy coming out of the Hokage's office and I'm hit with all this information. He was friends with the Sandaime as children. He's 71 years old born January 6th, blood type AB. Ninja Registration Number: 000272, he's a member of the Konoha Council with Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu.

Danzo, works in the shadows and he has a very bloody way of thinking. He'll kill if he thinks it's for the good of the village.

Well, during Itachi's time as an Anbu captain, he was becoming more involved in clan matters. The clan apparently, wanted to start a coup d'état."

"Impossible," Sasuke hissed, eyes narrowing.

She raised her hands, "I'm just telling you what I saw.

Anyway, Itachi didn't agree with their thoughts and began reporting everything they spoke of in their meetings, to the Hokage and the Council. Sandaime-sama was the only one who wanted to work everything out diplomatically.

Apparently, Madara Uchiha was known to be able to control the Kyubi, since he used it in a fight against the Shodaime. When the Kyubi appeared somehow twelve years ago, rumors began to spread that the Uchiha clan was responsible for it. The fact that they did not help in evacuating the civilians or the rebuilding afterwards, did not help their claims to not being part of it. However, I saw that Danzo was the one to order the Uchiha clan not to do anything in the first place.

Because people started looking down on the clan and accusing it as a whole for the Kyubi attack, they responded with a plan of civil war. Anyone who stood in the way would be eliminated.

Itachi cared for the village more, which was why he told the Hokage and the Council. The clan council noticed that he was becoming distant and he knew they noticed. When they started fixing their attention on you, Sasuke, he became a little, angered and approached the Hokage and the Council to come up with a plan before you were roped into anything bad.

Danzo called for slaughtering the clan, because Itachi was loyal to the village and he could just rebuild the clan on his own. The rest of the Council agreed with him, but Sandaime-sama didn't want needless deaths and denied their request.

I then saw Danzo calling for Itachi's presence and telling him that if he were to slaughter the clan, he'd be allowed to let Sasuke live and they would blame the deaths on Iwagakure, because we're on bad terms with them. If Itachi refused, he would be killed by Danzo's Ne organization immediately and Danzo would send them out to do away with the Uchiha.

Itachi chose to let you live, but no one expected you to come home early or to catch Itachi in the act. Because of that, Itachi apparently told you he did it to test his strength and then knocked you out. What came next, was something I finally understand. I had seen it upon first seeing the Hokage, but didn't understand it until now.

He visited the Sandaime before deserting the village and asked him to keep you safe. He then visited Danzo and threatened that if Danzo tried to recruit you in Ne, he'd reveal everything he knew about Ne to the enemies of Konoha.

If I meet Itachi in person, I'll be able to verify everything. So far, everything I see of people, cannot be tampered with. My current trainer was once a member of Root and even though he can't speak about it, I know what he went through, proving that the seals don't block me.

I'm sorry Sasuke, but after seeing the things that Danzo has done, like help Sanshouo no Hanzo in the Second Shinobi World War and see him dispatch his Ne to assassinate the Sandaime because he didn't like how the man rules the village, I'm inclined to believe that he would call for the slaughtering of a clan. I don't believe that Itachi is completely at fault. Before you confront him, will you please allow me to see what really happened on his end? What if your were wrong the entire time? What if Itachi isn't the enemy? Would you want to spend the rest of your days regretting killing him?"

Naruto was looking at Sasuke and softly said, "What could it hurt, teme? If he's innocent, we take this Danzo bastard down. If not, we kill him slowly and painfully."

Sasuke looked up at Naruto suddenly, Sharingan blazing fiercely. The redhead didn't budge and stared the 'last Uchiha' down evenly.

Sasuke looked up at Hikari. "I trust you. You and the dobe. If you can prove that Itachi...if  _he_ is innocent, I will believe you. Until then, I'll still train to defeat him. Because of he  _is_ innocent, I will destroy this Danzo for ruining my family."

"And I'll help you, teme! -ttebayo!"

Hikari smiled and reached forward, poking Sasuke in the center of the forehead. "I'll help too. Even if Itachi isn't innocent, we could still take Danzo out. He's interfered in a lot of wars and things over the years. And the fact that he tried to assassinate his own friend who is our Hokage, pisses me off."

Sasuke looked at Hikari for a moment and then his Sharingan eyes searched Naruto. Finally, he took one of his shuriken from his pouch and slashed his left hand with it.

He held his hand out, sliced palm upward. "Promise that we will always be there to help each other and that whatever happens, we'll do it together."

Holy shit. This Sasuke was so much different from the emo, loner, avenger. He actually wanted to work together. Wow.

Naruto took his own kunai and did what Sasuke did. He then placed his bleeding hand partially on Sasuke's.

They looked at Hikari expectantly and she grimaced. "That really isn't sanitary you know. Germs, diseases and other shit are passed along like this."

They were boys. Germs didn't seem to frighten them in the least.

She sighed and pulled out her own kunai. Once the deed was done, she hesitantly placed her bleeding appendage over Sasuke's, right beside Naruto's.

"I...promise."

"I promise, -ttebayo!"

"Hn. I promise."

Their connected hands glowed red for a moment. The light settled down and they gasped upon realizing that their blood was gone. In place of them. On each of their hands, was a small black triangle with a red dot in the center.

"What was that?" Naruto asked while poking at his triangle.

Sasuke shrugged.

"A blood seal maybe. Or a blood promise?" Hikari suggested, thinking vaguely of an Unbreakable Vow from Harry Potter.

"The blood is gone and the wounds are healed and now we have these weird markings," Naruto pointed out.

Sasuke stood with a, "Hn."

Hikari looked at her soon to be teammates and said, "Up for a battle royal?"

They smirked in response.

**A/N: Another one done. I had to do the summonings. I'm aiming for them to be so awesome, they'll get greater missions in the future. Things won't go exactly the same because of the missions. Neji kissed her! YAY! I think I got Tenzo down.**

**Let me know what you though in a respectful manner, please?**

**Check out my other Naruto stories.** _**The Cicatrices Beneath the Veil** _ **(Sasuke/Naruko ongoing),**

**See ya!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it?
> 
> So, if anyone doesn't like that Sasuke isn't the same as in the anime or manga, let me remind you... In the manga-anime, Sasuke lived on his own, had no friends in the Academy, was a stuck up emo like kid and was rude to everyone, even his superiors. Even for Rookie of the Year, he knew one fire jutsu and refused to ask for help. In this story, he moved in with Hikari and Naruto. He knows of Naruto's past and secrets and vice versa. He can walk up walls and on water. He can summon and perform about 5 different fire jutsu. He even knows about his Sharingan and has been training it. The differences between my Sasuke, and Kishimoto's Sasuke, are vast. With very different experiences, they aren't going to be the same. So, sorry to anyone who is angry, but I'm not going to make Sasuke into a power hungry avenger. I can't stand that crap.


	6. Team 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team 7 is chosen and hey are tested.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi is shocked. :)

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. LINK IS BELOW.**

* * *

It was the day of the Graduation Exam!

Naruto gave Hikari and Sasuke a nod, knowing that he was to do really bad.

Iruka looked so disappointed in Naruto's score for the practical exam. Even more so for the Genjutsu and the Taijutsu.

Naruto looked at the man who he thought of as a big brother and smiled. "Don't worry, Iruka-sensei, it's not as bad as you think!"

The man tried to smile, but he looked more like he was trying to not throw up.

"Henge."

Naruto nodded and made the hand-sign. Iruka ended up looking at a copy of himself, who sifted his hitai-ate in a very Iruka like manner.

"Good job, Naruto. Kawarimi, please."

Naruto smiled and suddenly he was gone. In his place was Mizuki, who fell to the ground. A shift to his left revealed that Naruto was now sitting in Mizuki's seat.

"Good job. Finally, Bunshin, please."

Naruto returned to his old spot and rubbed his head and said, "I still can't do normal Bunshin."

Iruka winced and was about to say something, but the redhead cut him off.

"So I learned another type of Bunshin instead! Behold, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Fifteen Naruto popped into existence and they all saluted Iruka, then proceeded to give each other high fives.

The Chunin instructor gaped openly before nodding to himself and reaching down to grab one of the hitai-ates. "You passed, Naruto. You're lucky you knew that jutsu, or I wouldn't have been able to pass you. At dead last is still a Genin rank."

Naruto scoffed as his clones dispersed. "Iruka-sensei, I'm better than you think. Hikari found out about the how the teams are set up and now she, teme and I are all on the same team! Hikari already told the old man our plan, so we don't have to worry about him not putting us together!"

He accepted his hitai-ate. "Thanks sensei. Now kick back and watch as I go and become the most awesome Hokage in the world!" He was gone in a puff of smoke, leaving Iruka gaping.

"Did he just Shunshin!"

Naruto landed on his favorite spot in the tree and looked down to see Sasuke and Hikari, who were reading books.

"I passed, last!"

They looked up from where they were leaning against the tree and smirked at him. "Good," they chorused.

"What now?"

Hikari looked at Sasuke, who shrugged. "Let's go to that Barbecue restaurant that Choji is always bragging about."

Naruto jumped down from the tree and Sasuke stood.

"We deserve good food."

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at the Jonin standing before him.

The man was slouching, the lone visible eye was only half open. There was a book in his hands, which he knew very well. Overall, the man came across as lazy and uncaring, but Hiruzen knew that was far from the truth.

"Did you look at the files on your new team?"

"No. They won't pass, just like all the others. There's no point."

Hiruzen was grinning widely, "I'm not so sure about that."

The man looked up from his book, "Hm?"

"This Team 7 is unlike any other, Kakashi. I highly suggest you read those files. Unless you'd like to have a heart attack tomorrow."

Kakashi stared at him for a moment, before nodding, reluctantly it seemed.

"I'm not joking, Kakashi. Your new team found out about the way teams are set up and worked to make sure they would be placed on the same team. They are already friends and I'm sure the bell test isn't going to work on them."

"Who could possibly make you so excited, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen grinned, "Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and that orphan you escorted here two years ago, Mizumi Hikari."

Kakashi closed the book suddenly and looked to his leader. "Black hair and eyes? The one you gave Aoi's belongs to?"

Hiruzen nodded. "Graduated Top Kunoichi after only one year of training."

Kakashi was silent for a moment, before nodding. "I'll look over the files, Hokage-sama. Am I needed for anything else?"

"No, you are dismissed."

Kakashi nodded and disappeared out the window. Hiruzen sighed, hoping that Team 7 truly showed their best.

There was a knock at the door and he called, "Enter."

Hikari waltzed into the room and placed a large scroll on his desk. One look and he gasped. The Scroll of Seals!

"How?!"

She shrugged. "Naruto graduated Dead Last like he was supposed to. Mizuki decided to trick him by telling him that if he learned a jutsu from this, that wasn't he Kage Bunshin, he'd graduate as Rookie of the Year. He never knew that he was talking to a Kage Bunshin or that the three of us where standing in the tree above him.

The Naruto Bunshin was told to memorize one jutsu in an hour and he opened the scroll, memorized the contents and dispelled himself. We took that chance to attack Mizuki, who was already trying to leave after giving the scroll away.

I knew what the scroll was by the markings on it. 'Forbidden' usually means bad things, so we beat the crap out of Mizuki and hogtied him. The boys have him outside the door."

The Sandaime looked at her for a full moment as he digested everything she said.

"Naruto's Kage Bunshin memorized the scroll and now you have a list of the jutsu in it, don't you?"

Her pale skin flushed instantly, but she nodded.

He sighed. "As you know, you are a team already and I know you'll do great. I'm going to mark this down as a C-rank mission for Team 7, okay? In return for catching Mizuki, who stole the scroll, I'll allow you to keep the list of jutsu, so long as you don't share them with anyone else. Understand?"

Hikari grinned widely, "Yes, sir!"

She turned toward the door and yelled, "Bring the traitor in!"

Sasuke and Naruto entered the room, a bound and gagged Mizuki in their arms. He looked like one big bruise and was unconscious.

"Well done, you three."

They all smirked and bowed, before excusing themselves, most likely to go and learn new jutsu.

Hiruzen looked down at the traitor who was bleeding on his floor.

"Give him to Ibiki!"

* * *

It was the day they would officially be assigned to Team 7 and they were excited. The thought of progressing their training was too much for them to just sit around and do nothing.

So, they sat together that morning, much to the annoyance of the Sasuke Fan Club. They started bagging on Naruto, who leaned in front of Hikari to get a closer looked at Sasuke. The Uchiha, not liking the look he was getting, decided to lean closer as well.

Hikari leaned back in her seat as her lap was nearly overtaken by red and black blobs of hair.

Unable to resist, she placed her hands on the backs of their heads and pushed.

Contact!

A horrified scream rang through the room and the Fan Club began cursing Hikari out. Naruto and Sasuke were still in the same place, even though her hands were gone. Finally, they moved away from each other, choking and wiping their mouths.

Naruto looked betrayed and Sasuke was sending her the biggest death glare she'd ever witnessed.

"I find myself suddenly shipping, Naruto/Sasuke Yaoi," she mumbled loud enough for both of them to hear.

Sasuke choked on his saliva and Naruto's head slammed into his desk. He stopped moving.

Hikari ignored the other girls and even Sakura and Ino who demanded that she get out of their seats. Thankfully, Iruka decided to enter the room and announce the teams.

She nudged Naruto awake and motioned to the front of the room. He wiped the drool from his mouth and nodded.

"Team 7 will be Mizumi Hikari, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto."

"YES!" Hikari shouted.

"SUCCESS!" Naruto cheered.

"Hn," was Sasuke's response.

Most of the 'kunoichi' began to cry over the fact that Sasuke wouldn't be on their teams.

Sasuke was still giving her a death glare and she just grinned at him cheerfully.

Iruka continued to name teams and dismissed them until noon, where they would return to meet their new senseis. He gave the a speech on how proud he was and bade them a fond farewell.

Sasuke stood and jumped out the nearby window, with Naruto and Hikari following behind him. He proceeded to lead them to Ichiraku where they ate an early lunch. They went back to the Academy to wait for their sensei.

The only thing that would annoy Hikari. would be waiting for four hours. Kakashi was always so late.

The first hours that senseis began picking up their teams, was okay. The second hour was ridiculous. Hikari was asleep by the third and only awoke when she heard multiple screeching noises.

Naruto was drawing on the blackboard.

Fucking chalk.

"Dobe, what are you doing?" Sasuke asked, much to her relief.

Said redhead was scribbling senselessly on the blackboard. He turned, grinned at them and continued with what he was doing.

Sasuke scoffed when Naruto grabbed the eraser, erased the chalk and then set it between the doors. "Dobe, it's a Jonin. I highly doubt they'll fall for that."

"And maybe they'll know what you did and let it happen just so you could feel accomplished," Hikari added, rubbing her eyes.

He huffed, "They'll fall for it. Just you watch."

They did. And he did.

Seeing it on page and in an anime was not like seeing it in real life. Silver hair suddenly became rainbow colored. The experience was so hilarious, she couldn't hold it in.

While Naruto burst out into riotous guffaws, Hikari snickered a few times and Sasuke looked depressed.

Kakashi looked them over in silence for a few seconds. Hikari waved at him and Naruto pointed a finger.

"He fell for it!"

Kakashi looked down at the eraser, then to Naruto and finally placed a finger on his chin.

"Based on what I've seen so far, you're a bunch of idiots."

Sasuke glared.

Naruto stopped laughing and mimicked Sasuke.

Hikari stuck her tongue out a bit.

"Meet me on the roof in five minutes."

He disappeared in a puff of smoke. Shunshin.

Sasuke looked at Hikari, "What did you get on him?"

She grinned.

"Hatake Kakashi, also known as Sharingan no Kakashi. He got it more than ten years ago during the last war. His teammate was an Uchiha who forgot to give him a gift for reaching Jonin at such a young age. The Uchiha was crushed under a boulder and decided to give the eye that wasn't crushed to Kakashi. Their teammate Rin, transplanted it since she was a medic.

Kakashi is known as the Man Who Copied Over a Thousand Jutsu. He graduated from the Academy at age five. Became Chunin at age six. Became Jonin at age eleven. Anbu at thirteen and Anbu Captain and Honsho not too long after. He was Itachi's captain when Itachi started. He has the Mangekyo Sharingan, but doesn't know it.

He likes Icha Icha, a porn series. Hates being photographed with his mask off. Was the prodigy student of the Yondaime Hokage. Loves salt-broiled saury and miso soup with eggplant and hates fried and sweet food. He's been on  _42 S-rank missions_. Solo.

He's twenty-six years old, born on September 15th, Ninja Registration Number: 009720. His Chakra Nature is Lighting, but he can use every element but Wind. He is extremely skilled and is being considered for the position of Godaime, even though he doesn't want to be Hokage. He feels he isn't worth such a position.

He's blunt, sometimes apathetic. Always three hours late to everything. Reason being, he visits the Memorial Stone in Training Ground 3 every morning and pays respects to the Yondaime, his Uchiha teammate and the Rin girl who died not long after.

His excuses for being late mimic that of the Uchiha when he was alive, but are untrue for Kakashi personally. They are as far-fetched as, 'getting lost on the road of life' and things like that.

Expert in Tracking, Trap-making, Emergency Medical Care, Survival, Evasion, Stealth, Subterfuge, Assassination, Advanced Sensory Perception, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Bukijutsu, Dojutsu and Chakra Manipulation. Intelligence high enough to put a Nara to shame. He has above average skill in Fuinjutsu but not a mastery. He's a threat and we cannot underestimate him. Got it?"

The boys looked stunned as she spoke. Finally, when she finished explaining about Kakashi, they gaped.

"Also, teamwork is important to him. Something his Uchiha teammate taught him. An important lesson he needed to learn and it was when he learned, that they truly became friends."

"So, we have to work like a team as you said all those months ago."

"Yes."

Sasuke nodded, "Then we work together. Simple. Now, I think we should get up there."

Naruto and Hikari nodded and together, they Shunshined to the roof.

Kakashi's only visible eyebrow rose in surprise when they appeared before him.

"That was ten minutes," he told them, sounding unimpressed.

Hikari shrugged as she sat between Naruto and Sasuke. "Well, we waited for four hours until you brought the cessation to our boredom. We had to have a little discussion before venturing up here. We figured that you could spare a few more moments of your time. After our business was concluded, we resolved not to linger any longer, for we would not presume that you would fancy us being so egregiously dilatory in introducing ourselves."

This was something she did in the presence of someone relatively new. She spoke with huge words and sounded pretty much like a dictionary. Or a robot. The reaction Kakashi gave her, was great.

"Huh?"

Naruto and Sasuke were looking just as confused as he was. Hikari just smiled. "Lovely to meet you once again."

"You too."

Kakashi waited a moment, before folding his arms and leaning against the railing behind him.

"Well then, why don't we get to know each other? Things you like, hate, your hobbies and dreams for the future will do."

Naruto grinned, "Can you go first, please?" He threw in those big blue eyes, hoping to sway the man over.

Kakashi didn't react, but shrugged. "I'm Hatake Kakashi. I like a lot of things and hate many things. I have hobbies that you don't need to know about. As for dreams, never thought of it. Your turn, Red."

Naruto, who was sitting to Hikari's right, adjusted his hitai-ate and smiled widely. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like my mom, Ichiraku's, tending to my garden, Hikari, teme, training and ramen. I hate failing, liars, traitors, people who refuse to understand the truth, a person who is at the  _root_ of every big problem and the three minutes it takes for ramen to cook when in a cup. My hobbies are training, comparing different types of ramen, pranking those who deserve it and dressing like a girl.  _Don't judge me_. My dream is to become Hokage and make the old man proud. -ttebayo!"

Hikari carefully watched Kakashi's reaction to Naruto's emotion filled words. When Naruto said he liked his mother, Kakashi's eyes went wide. As the redhead continued, Kakashi continued to stare in what looked to be awe. He was not expecting all of that to come from Naruto. Had it been canon, it wouldn't have. But Hikari was there and had changed everything. She liked Kakashi's shock.

Kakashi nodded when the redhead finished and motioned to Sasuke.

The Uchiha placed his elbows on his knees, fingers linked under his chin.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I like training, Hikari and the dobe. I despise traitors, meddlers, malicious manipulators, fans and laziness. My hobbies are training and studying. Sometimes I go for walks. I'm going to restore my clan and learn the truth. Depending on what  _the truth_ is, someone will die by my hand. These things will happen, so they are not dreams, but goals."

Kakashi's reaction to Sasuke was humorous. He was most likely waiting for a bland introduction that ended with swearing to kill someone. Sasuke's answer was so different from canon.

It was Hikari's turn to speak.

"I'm Mizumi Hikari and I'm going to do my introduction backwards."

She took a deep breath.

"My dreams for the future...well, one is a dream the will happen and the other is a goal that will happen. The goal is to either become a Jonin or join Anbu for a bit. The dream that will come true in a few years…..I want my own reverse harem."

Silence…

…

…

…

…

…

When Kakashi's eyes widened, Sasuke and Naruto jerked away from her on either side. Both boys were flushed. A look at Kakashi, showed that he was also blushing at her words.

She shrugged, "My hobbies include various training methods, studying different subjects and working on my speed, which correlates with the harem."

Sasuke was the one to ask, "How?"

"Well, I have four requirements for my harem. Intelligence, skill, good character and strong morals. Good looks are an added bonus. A guy must make three of the four for me to consider him. Here's where the speed comes in. When someone makes the requirements necessary, I need to see if there will be a spark between us. I need to get in their guard without them noticing so I can plant one on them and get out of their guard before they realize what happened and possibly react badly."

The three males were silent as she spoke.

"If a spark is there, I will pursue them."

"Quick question," Naruto said, raising his hand.

"Slow answer," she responded.

He playfully glared for a second. "Why haven't you tried this with me or teme?"

"Well first, it would be  _teme and I_."

He rolled his eyes.

"And second, I can't pursue you Naruto, because you are already spoken for."

"WHAT?!"

"Yes. Someone who admires you greatly will be with you in the future."

He was still looking confused.

"I can't really tell you much, but I will say this…...Sasuke will be gentle."

Both were reduced to coughing/choking fits for the second time that day. She held a straight face as they both looked at her in horror.

"Why the hell am I the uke?! I'm not the one with the word  _uke_ in my name! -ttebayo!"

She held in the laughter that wished to burst free. She was almost done with them. Almost.

"Never with a guy and most definitely not the dobe!"

" _I don't know_ ," she sang. "That passionate kiss you two shared earlier spoke volumes of your future relationship."

For the third time that day, the boys were reduced to choking embarrassment.

"THAT WAS YOUR FAULT!" the both yelled.

"Eh….you two are too hung up on the minuscule details."

They sputtered for a moment, before she could no longer take it and burst out laughing so hard, she fell back, clutching her stomach.

"I hate you/You suck!" the boys grumbled at once.

"Pfft! No you don't. And you never will."

She sat up, rubbing her head a little. "Anyway, continuing my introduction. I hate liars, those who abandon their friends, the color orange, bras that hook in the front and anything Naruto and Sasuke hate, pretty much. I like Naruto and Sasuke, Sandaime-sama, senpai, training and studying, staying healthy so I don't get fat again, messing with the teens on either side of me and my harem idea. Yeah, that's all I got for now."

Kakashi was looking at her, searchingly. Like he was looking for something. He must have found it, because he a small nod and an eye smile. Creepy to see it done in reality.

"Well then, now that we know each other a little better, let's get on to our first exercise. A survival test!"

Naruto looked at Hikari and asked, "Didn't we do those in the Academy?"

"Yeah, but probably not the way he's thinking of doing it. They were small trials in the back of the Academy. He's probably talking bigger scale."

Kakashi inclined his head, "Exactly. It's a true Genin Exam."

"What?" Sasuke said, brow quirking.

"Yes. The Graduation Exam was just a way of getting rid of the useless ones. The real test begins now Out of the amount who passed, only sixty-six percent will truly become Genin. The others will be sent back to the Academy for another year."

Naruto squeaked in fear and looked to Hikari, who was sitting calmly. She met his gaze and subtly shook her head 'no'. He got the message and calmed a bit.

"You will meet me in Training Ground Three tomorrow morning at five. Don't eat breakfast unless you want to throw up. See you then!"

He used Shunshin to disappear. Once they where sure he was gone, Sasuke and Naruto turned to look at her expectantly.

"Okay, Training Ground Three is the major training spot. It's where the Memorial Stone is too. Which means we should lay traps now, so that when he goes to pay his teammates respect tomorrow, he won't see us.

He's going to give us the Bell Test. We don't actually have to get the bells, but we have to work as a team to try to get them. The Yondaime did this with Kakashi, Jiraiya of the Sannin did it with the Yondaime, the Sandaime did it was Jiraiya and the Shodaime and Nidaime did it with the Sandaime. It's tradition.

Also, every team he has been given, he failed because they didn't work together. And with every one of them, he didn't officially arrive until eleven. He was actually lounging in a tree reading Icha Icha for those few hours. He'll most likely do the same, which means we need to prepare now, for tomorrow."

They nodded and stood, stretching out their cramped legs.

"Should we buy weapons?"

"Yes."

The three jumped off the roof and continued into the center of the village. Hikari paused briefly when she felt someone familiar following them for several minutes.

Naruto and Sasuke where ahead of her and were arguing over something. She grabbed their heads and proceeded to push them together until their lips met.

"Go to Ichiraku's, someone is following us," she whispered lowly, then let out a laugh.

They pulled apart and began wiping their mouths.

"Stop doing that!" Sasuke hissed, eyes flashing.

Naruto nodded, "It's gross! -ttebayo!"

She shrugged, "Food, here we come!"

When they sat down at the noodle bar, he presence disappeared and she sighed in relief. "They're gone," she whispered.

"Good."

* * *

Team 7 didn't arrive at Training Ground Three until ten in the morning, having stayed up until midnight, trapping the forest.

The got a very good night's sleep and then ate fruits and granola bars for breakfast. They even packed extra for when they we hungry.

The clearing near the stumps was quiet. The team took their time walking, knowing that Kakashi wouldn't 'arrive' until later.

Hikari and Naruto immediately sprawled out on the ground while Sasuke calmly sat cross-legged.

"Wake me when he's here."

Naruto grunted and Sasuke hummed in response.

Hikari was awoken by the sound of a pop and then a, "Yo!"

Sitting up, she could see Naruto and Sasuke moving to stand. She grinned and flipped onto her feet.

Kakashi placed an alarm clock on the middle stump and hit the top. "This is set to go off at noon," he stated while holding up two small silver bells. They dangled from his hand by a red string. "You have to get these bells from me before then. The one who doesn't get a bell will be tied to the stump and not allowed to eat lunch. They will then be sent back to the Academy next year."

They did not respond to his words. It was a verbal standstill.

His shoulders slumped slightly, "Anyway, you'll begin when I give the go ahead."

The Genin shared a look, which Hikari knew didn't go unnoticed.

"Ready...steady...GO!"

Hikari and Sasuke disappeared toward the trees, just as planned. Leaving Naruto to guide Kakashi to the treeline. Everything would fall into place after they got him where they needed him.

As they watched from a distance, Naruto Created ten Kage Bunshin which proceeded to attack Kakashi. The Copy Ninja easily dodge back from the first two, who just rushed with brash punches. He grabbed the one and lifted it over his head easily. The next two joined the other and proceeded to try and kick.

Naruto created even more Kage Bunshin, who all took of fighting stances surrounding Kakashi's form. The silver haired ninja huffed and began the dance, taking out five Bunshin in a mere second. The Bunshin retaliated to his attack with their own assault. Punches, kicks, thrusts and flips as they moved closer to the treeline.

Hikari released her weights, four hundred and fifty pounds, and grabbed the ninja wire in Sasuke's hands. She flashed forward, darting around Kakashi's form and wrapping the wire around him once successfully. Sasuke felt the added weight and pulled with Hikari as she returned to her previous position by his side.

Kakashi was pulled back into the trees, the Bunshin following his flight.

The two dark haired Genin released the Jonin and disappeared into the foliage. The Naruto Bunshin burst into the area just as Kakashi rid himself of the wire.

Instead of attacked the sensei, they each took a different spot and then it was all over!

* * *

Kakashi hadn't expected them to work together. Sure, they showed much more promise than any other teams, but he knew they wouldn't work together. It was sad, in a way. All that promise would be wasted. And he had looked forward to seeing what they were made of at least.

Too bad for them.

The redhead, which he was pretty sure was once a blonde, stayed behind while the other two vanished. He didn't say a thing, which shocked Kakashi.

The Jonin had read on how boisterous the Uzumaki was. I was a shock that he wasn't bragging about defeating his sensei and being Hokage. In fact, Naruto wasn't much of what Kakashi thought he'd be.

None of them were.

Not even the Uchiha. Kakashi had expected an avenger who had only one thought on his mind. He came to find out, that was not the case at all. Sasuke seemed very open for an Uchiha. Not like Obito was, but open enough.

Hikari was also a shock. Two years in the shinobi world and she was Top Kunoichi with better grades than even the Uchiha. What shocked him most, was how blaze she was about wanting a harem. She gave good points that supported her want as well. Good speed was required.

So he was a bit shocked. He still wasn't, when Hikari and Sasuke abandoned Naruto to fight him, alone.

The redhead didn't make a sound. He just created some  **Kage Bunshin** ,  _beyond Genin level skill_ , he thought. They attacked and he defended. There was no mouthing off or insults. He just seemed focused on fighting. That, and he was creating more Bunshin.

Kakashi wasn't expecting the small blur of black that wrapped around his hips and pulled him off his feet and backwards.

The pulling stopped and he regained his footing, cutting the wire around him at the same time. The Naruto Bunshin had followed after him and each took up a stance.

Kakashi shook his head, ready to fight them again when the one farthest to the left, pulled out a kunai and threw it. And then Kakashi  _knew_. They didn't abandon Naruto, they had him working on distracting Kakashi so they could get him into the cover of the trees, where they most likely laid traps.

He was right. That one kunai, set off a chain reaction and he didn't have time to Shunshin of use Kawarimi. It was strictly evasion at it's highest setting.

His eyes caught kunai, shuriken, tanto, wire, bomb tags, flash bombs and so many other projectiles for him to dodge. There were explosions and bright flashes of light in certain places. Kakashi kept moving, not wanting to get hit. One simple mistake, could cost him.

He'd admit, it was a good plan. And he really had wonder how many weapons they had bought.

The other Bunshin exploded and Kakashi felt the rain of weaponry speed up as more weapons joined the fray.

He actually had to pull his hitai-ate up and use his Sharingan, so that he could see everything and move out of the way in time. To think, three green Genin managed to get him to use it. Amazing.

It took about a minute before the hail storm of steel ceased and he sighed, wondering what they'd have next.

He didn't have to think about it for too long. The weapons around him started exploding and he found himself surrounded by Naruto's. They attacked as one unit.

And then there was fire. Raining down from heaven it seemed.

Logically, he knew that this wasn't the case, but it was what his mind supplied him with in that instant.

The fire spread and he only got out, by performing a quick Doton Jutsu that hid him underground.

He wasn't underground for long. Suddenly, something shifted beneath his feet and the ground broke apart. He was rising. He looked down to see that he was standing on a large tree.

Before he could ponder it further, his right flank was attacked viciously by a familiar Uchiha, with  _Sharingan eyes activated_.

Then his left side was exposed and he took a hit to the ribs by Hikari, who appeared suddenly. She was much faster than her teammates, if his Sharingan even had difficulty keeping up with her.

A weight on his back alerted him to Naruto's joint efforts. His left arm went numb suddenly, by a hit from Hikari. Naruto was trying to holding his arms up and Sasuke moved close, but there was no hit. Confused, Kakashi looked down in time to see a pale hand grabbing onto the bells he had hooked onto his flak jacket.

There was a kick to his chest and the Genin vanished.

He crashed into the 'magical tree' and looked around, trying to catch his breath. The Genin and the Kage Bunshin were gone. He could sense their chakra not too far off. Towards the clearing.

Feeling wary, he jumped down and approached the opening in the trees cautiously.

What he saw, made him slump.

There were sitting in a triangle, eating apples. In the center, were two silver bells connected by a red thread. They did it. They  _actually_  did it.

"Well I'll be damned," he murmured to himself in awe.

"Well, you got the bells. Now you have to decide who goes back to the Academy," he said with false cheer as he strolled over to them.

Hikari scoffed, "We already passed. Seriously, the Bell Test has been used so many times before. We knew of the teamwork requirement before graduating. That's why Naruto deliberately did so bad on his exam. We wanted to be on the same team because everyone else wouldn't make it."

Kakashi stared. They knew? And they had Naruto fake it?!

"How could you work so well together? And how are you all so good? Genin can't do things like what you did."

"Sensei, we've been living together for like the last year," Naruto said, mouth full.

"We train together," Sasuke added.

Hikari nodded, "And study together."

"And even eat together!" Naruto grinned.

Kakashi was not prepared for it. When the Hokage said that they were a good team, he meant it. They passed, they were skilled, they used teamwork. It had never happened before.

"So, you're saying you tricked the Academy so you could all be on the same team?"

They nodded.

Well then.

"Okay you're right. You passed. Care to tell me what exactly you used in there?"

Naruto smirked, "I've got a near endless chakra supply because I'm an Uzumaki and a Jinchuuriki, so I can do the Kage Bunshin loads of times. Hikari wanted up to trap the forest so we stayed up late last night doing it. She knows some information about you and knew that you'd be late today, but didn't want to chance you coming early and seeing us laying the traps, so we did it yesterday. I made almost a thousand Kage Bunshin that I had Henge into real shuriken. It's a skill I have. Anyway, that was my contribution along with setting the actual traps. I'm good at that. I also jumped on your back."

Hikari and Sasuke were Sasuke were nodding.

Sasuke shrugged, "I helped set traps, with the wire to pull you in, the Katon Jutsu, the Sharingan to fight you with and I managed to get the bellas off you."

Hikari ate a few bites of food. "You're our sensei now. You need to know about our skills. But don't tell anyone else but Hokage-sama, okay? Unless we make it known, we don't want people to know yet."

Kakashi nodded slowly, mulling over the information. "What was your part in all that?"

"The plan overall, getting the wire around you with my speed, getting you out of the ground with my tree and keeping you distracted so we could get the bells."

The Genin all shared another telling look. They knew what was being said despite saying nothing at all.

Sasuke looked at him sharply, "I'm the last Uchiha and I have the Sharingan.

Naruto matched the look. "I'm the last Uzumaki and I have the Kyubi sealed in me."

Hikari shrugged, "I'm one Orochimaru's successful experiments that he doesn't know of."

Kakashi blanched at that and saw the looks the boys were giving her. Pity, anger, but not at her, and a clear want for revenge.

Hikari put her hands together, "Moku Bunshin no Jutsu."

Just like she practiced with Tenzo, the chakra gathered together and stretched from her head, like a rope and began filling the space beside her, until an exact replica was left.

She looked at it and said, "Tenzo-senpai has been training me, because he's the only other person besides Hokage-sama and these two, who knows. Danzo must not know."

Kakashi gaped, but was glad that they couldn't see it. His team, the only one to ever pass, was full of power. Dear Kami.

"What other skills do you have?" he asked, somewhat reluctant to see how far the had gone without a sensei.

"Tree Walking, Tree Fighting, Water Walking, Water Fighting, we each have a summoning contract. We already know our affinities and have mostly finished the training for them. Sasuke's Sharingan helped him. Naruto's endless chakra helped him. And I just have perfect control to master it. I know three Doton Jutsu and two Suiton Jutsu, plus my Mokuton and Kenjutsu," Hikari rattled off.

Sasuke nodded, "Seven Katon Jutsu and one Raiton Jutsu. My Taijutsu is advanced."

"Three Futon Jutsu! I taught Hikari and teme my version of the Henge. My Taijutsu has gotten better. I also have a couple Jutsu I created for pranking purposes, but they  _could_ be used on certain opponents, if they are perverts. -ttebayo!"

"We can't do Genjutsu, so don't bother," Sasuke added toward the end.

"Yes, but we can  _break out of them_ , which is good enough," Hikari smiled, nodding to herself.

The Genin then turned to Kakashi, waiting for him to say something of significance.

"Meet me tomorrow at eight, right here," he said, turning to go and see the Hokage.

"So technically, that means eleven," he heard Hikari say to the boys.

Kakashi shook his head, mystified that she had him figured out so well.

* * *

"Told you he had a Sharingan," Hikari mumbled as they walked toward the Barbecue Restaurant.

"I can't believe we actually go him to resort to using it."

Naruto nodded along with Sasuke's words. "Yeah. Maybe we should do that ambush of weapons thing again. It was fun, seeing him bob and weave and trying not to get hit."

"He's probably talking to the Hokage about our skills. Maybe we won't have to do a bunch of D-rank missions!" Hikari cheered.

Naruto sent her a blank look accompanied by a, "Huh?"

As they took a seat given to them by the hostess, Hikari faced Naruto and began telling him about missions and their ranking.

Sasuke surreptitiously listened in as she spoke and she turned to poke him in the forehead. He glared in response.

* * *

"Sir, you honestly didn't know they were this good?"

Kakashi looked at his Hokage in curiosity. How could the man not know all of what was going on?

Hiruzen waved a hand and an Anbu disappeared out the window. Moments later, Tenzo appeared, dressed like a Jonin.

"Tenzo, Kakashi here is now Hikari's Jonin instructor. Has she mentioned anything or done anything strange for Genin in your training?"

Tenzo looked at Kakashi and bowed, "It's good to see you, senpai. Hikari-chan is very energetic. She's quick to master techniques for her Mokuton. Her Kenjutsu is Chunin level at least. Her Taijutsu is something to worry about. She made my hand not work for an hour, with only one hit. So said she was hitting pressure points instead of chakra points, which disabled my hand. She has never talked about anything else or demonstrated any other abilities, that I know of."

The Hokage sat up in his chair, "We'll need to work out a training schedule. Tenzo, now that Hikari is on a team full time and will be on missions, your training may be reduced. Is she ready for more sporadic training or does she still needed immediate assistance?"

"Hokage-sama, she has blossomed. Her learning ability is impressive and she's much like I was when I started out under Danzo-san's orders. I've been teaching her much like he had taught me and she's like another me, in terms of learning. Fast. She doesn't need to train with me every day. Maybe once a week is best."

"And Kakashi, do what you have to. With a team as skilled as yours, who already have teamwork down easily, you'll only have to do the precautionary D-rank missions and once they are finished, I will need your team out and about, doing more. We're a bit short on manpower and the C-ranks are building fast. Don't forget to train them. I don't care how you do it, but just get to done."

Kakashi nodded and bowed. Tezno followed his lead and they both left the office.

"It's good seeing you again, Tenzo. We may be seeing each other a lot more often. Perhaps you can even help me train my new brats. A little Anbu example if you will."

Tenzo gaped, "Senpai you are evil."

Kakashi cracked out his Icha Icha and chuckled darkly. "I know."

"I guess it couldn't hurt. When do you want to start the training?"

"How about you meet us in Training Ground Three tomorrow around four?"

Tenzo looked doubtful, "Is that actually four or do you mean seven?"

"I plan on having them do some missions first. It should be  _around four_."

"Okay then, senpai. I'll see you then."

Tenzo was gone in a poof of smoke. Kakashi hummed to himself as he moved down the streets at a sedate pace. He had a Genin squad now. Well damn.

His view was obstructed by Asuma and Kurenai, who were looking at him apprehensively.

"So, did you send these kids back crying as well?" Asuma asked, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"I wish you could at least pass one team, Kakashi," Kurenai stated, looking disappointed in him.

He glanced up from his book and said, "Did you say something?"

They twitched with annoyance at him, in unison.

He walked past them and waved a hand. "Well, I have to get home and get some rest. I have a team to train tomorrow. Ja!"

He left the sputtering in his wake and giggled as he read a particular line that always made him laugh.

Life as Hatake Kakashi was good sometimes. At the moment though, it was great.

* * *

**A/N: Another one is done.**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	7. Chunin in Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happens.
> 
> Deviating from the series a bit more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chunin training is underway!

**A/N: Hello, people!**

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* * *

Team 7 arrived as one unit to Training Ground Three, five minutes before their instructed time. Five minutes later, Kakashi appeared, book already in hand and the other hand was raised in greeting.

"Yo!"

"Sup?" Naruto and Hikari returned. Sasuke gave a low hum.

"We're going to start off on your first D-rank missions today. Hokage-sama informed me that our team will only be doing the minimal required D-rank assignments before our team takes C-ranks."

Hikari hummed, "Isn't that like, ten?"

He nodded, "Yes. However, Team 7 is already on the records for a successful C-rank before they were even officially announced. Amazing. In light of that revelation, Hokage-sama has lowered the requirement to five D-rank missions. We may be able to get them over with my tomorrow, if we take the easiest ones."

Hikari was inwardly grinning. In the canon version, Team 7 had been so unprepared and jaded. None of the members got along, they didn't understand teamwork and each were annoying in their own way. She was glad that things were different this time around. None of that pussyfooting shit, because they were already ahead and knew what to expect. They were probably all Chunin level already, which meant that they need to pick up the training and soon.

"Let's head to the Mission Assignment Room, my kawaii little Genin!"

They followed after him, when he jumped off. So there wouldn't be any leisurely strolls to the mission desk, Kakashi wanted to get the D-ranks over with quickly.

"Good morning Team 7, how are you?" the Hokage smiled behind his pipe.

"Good," they chorused back.

"Ready for tortu- I mean- a mission, sir," Kakashi stated, catching himself and giving an uncomfortable laugh toward the end.

The Chunin in the room laughed a little and the Hokage cracked a smile. The Genin weren't smiling. They just stood there, waiting for a mission to be given.

"Well, there is painting a council member's fence, babysitting, weeding a garden, planting a garden, potato picking, cleaning the Academy first year room, or catching Tora."

"That one!" Hikari said suddenly, scaring the men in the room.

Iruka looked worried and concerned. "Are you sure? That cat… is a monster."

She waved off his concern. "Worry not, Iruka-sensei. We're very adept at dealing with animals of the feline origin."

The Genin shared an amused look, but didn't not say anything after that.

The Hokage chuckled but handed the scroll over to Kakashi.

Sasuke smirked when Hikari gave a nod and he bit his thumb, ran through some seals and summoned one of his tigers. "Tora," he addressed the feline. **(A/N: For anyone who doesn't get the joke, TORA- is Japanese for 'tiger'.)**

Kakashi choked suddenly and the remaining members of Team 7 looked on in humor.

The long striped feline looked up at Sasuke, its blue eyes outlined with black markings. "What do you need of me, Sasuke-sama?"

"Was there a cat in this room recently?"

The tiger nodded and sniffed a few times. "Common Tabby Cat, unnatural life essence, and more than twenty years if I am correct. Shall I lead you to her?"

"Yes. Good work, Tora."

The tiger was out the window in a flash with the Genin following after her swiftly.

It did not take long for Tora to subdue the other Tora. In fact, the poor feline with the red bow on the ear, never had a chance. Tiger Tora was quick and ruthless, clamping her maw around the back of the cat's neck.

The mission was finished pretty quickly, setting a record. Woo! In fact, they were able to start another mission immediately.

Weeding a garden, which went by in one tenth of the time because of Naruto's Kage Bunshin.

Kakashi tried to claim that it wasn't fair, but Sasuke and Hikari had no qualms about getting the mission out of the way faster. By noon, they were finished.

With three hours left until they ate lunch and then went for training, they took another mission. Painting a fence. More Kage Bunshin. Hikari even made a Moku Bunshin to help out.

Painting took an hour. Why the hell did someone need such a huge fence? What were they going to do with it?

Kakashi sat by the entire time, reading Icha Icha Violence. Hikari found herself intrigued. Was that one worse then the other one? Hm…

Team Training was with Tenzo, who looked slightly uncomfortable with Sasuke and Naruto. Hikari and Kakashi both received warm greetings from the man, but the redhead and the Uchiha weren't so fortunate.

Kakashi then had them spar Tenzo, to gauge how well they'd do. Unsurprisingly, they all did pretty well. Sasuke used his Sharingan to his advantage, Naruto had his Kage Bunshin on his side, and Hikari used her own Taijutsu form. It was a good thing she fought last, because she disabled his right arm, leaving him left handed.

"You're all proficient at Taijutsu. What about Ninjutsu?"

A three way battle between the Genin, using anything they had, except summoning.

Sasuke let loose the Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu **(A/N: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)** , which Hikari countered with Suiton: Teppodama **(A/N: Water Release: Gunshot)** , cancelling out the fire.

Naruto jumped in and used Futon: Daitoppa **(A/N: Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)**  to try and knock them down.

Hikari disappeared underground, using Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu **(A/N: Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique)** while Sasuke held himself in place with his chakra. When the wind died down, Sasuke immediately sent a Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu **(A/N: Fire Release: Phoenix Flower)**  in Naruto's direction and the redhead responded by creating several Kage Bunshin to take the hit for him.

The clones were destroyed and left large puffs of smoke behind. Just as the wind blew to clear it all away, Naruto was suddenly yanked under the ground until only his head was visible. Hikari stood above him, grinning cheekily at his misfortune.

Her advanced sensory perception tingled and she used a sealless Kawarimi **(A/N: Substitution)** , to get away from the Katon: Zukokku **(A/N: Fire Release: Searing Migraine)**  Sasuke had thrown her way.

Sasuke looked around, wondering where she was. Realizing how she took Naruto out, he jumped back and stood on the water, waiting for something to happen.

It happened alright.

One moment, he was standing just fine and the next, he was surrounded by a blue sphere and unable to escape.

Hikari grinned at her success in capturing Sasuke in her Suiro no Jutsu **(A/N: Water Prison)**.

In that instant, the Naruto in the ground was replaced by a log and Hikari used that chance to create a Moku Bunshin, one handed! She was awesome!

The Bunshin stood on guard, waiting for the redhead to act. He didn't disappoint.

Naruto flung a Futon: Renkudan **(A/N: Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet)**  at her. The Bunshin reacted immediately and ran forward toward the land while making the hand seals necessary for the Doton: Doryuheki **(A/N: Earth Release: Mud Wall)**.

With the defense in place, the Bunshin was able to stop the wind attack. She moved closer to Naruto, using her speed to get within touching range.

Naruto ' _eeped_ ' and had no chance to defend when she roundhouse kicked him, sending him flying. There was no mercy. As soon as he sat up, she had him pinned to the ground, hand pulled back in preparation to punch him.

"Forfeit," she commanded.

The redhead sighed and nodded. "I'm out."

The Bunshin returned to the wood that it was and the real Hikari released Sasuke from his prison. The Uchiha glared at her and she shrugged.

"Don't give me that look. Would you rather lose to me, or to a fan-girl?"

The horror that overcame his face in that moment, was priceless.

"Or course, don't get me wrong, you are attractive, but I just don't see what they have made up about you."

His jaw dropped.

"Seriously, they claim to love you and all, but the don't know the real you. They've developed some twisted vision of you, coming in to save them from everything. That you'll love them only if they're pretty enough. That looks matter to you. You aren't petty, nor materialistic and yet they don't actually try to see the  _real_ you. Just some dream they made up, in hopes of reassuring themselves that you'd find an interest in at least one of them. So then they'd feel like they're worth something."

"Wait, you're saying they like me because they have some sort of false image of me in their heads?" he hissed in annoyance.

She nodded, "Yes. Unfortunately, it's the way of fan-girls."

" _Ridiculous_."

They made their way to dry land and joined Naruto in watching the two older shinobi.

"Hikari-chan won that battle, very impressive. You guys know some high level jutsu for Genin. Sasuke, your chakra reserves are about high Chunin, Hikari's are reaching high Jonin and Naruto at Kage, and you all know  _why_ of course. I'm impressed. You are most definitely Chunin level already, which means you will be receiving Chunin level training," Kakashi said, flipping a page in his Icha Icha.

Tenzo nodded, "I was surprised by your control of your jutsu. Well done."

Kakashi let out a sigh, "So tomorrow, we will be finishing the required missions and then we will have a five day training mission. High Chunin, low Jonin level of course. Bring everything you'd need for a week out in the wilderness. You won't be going home for a while."

They nodded and Kakashi gave a wave, "See you tomorrow! Same time, same place!"

* * *

Hikari sat up and rubbed her head, wincing at the horrible headache she had. What the hell had happened. She remembered gardening and babysitting and then meeting up with Kakashi and Tenzo and waking up just a moment ago.

She took in her surroundings, seeing large trees that blocked the sky. The roots were enormous, sticking out of the ground and twisting in odd angles. The shrubs were small and covered in berries that looked too good to be healthy.

The ground was rocky and worn, meaning people had traveled on it in the past.

To her left was Sasuke, who was laying on his side, sleeping. To her right was Naruto, who was sprawled on his back, snoring loudly.

She rubbed her eyes and stood, trying to wake herself up.

On the tree behind her, was a scroll that was hanging by a red thread off a small tac.

She took the scroll gingerly, making sure that it wasn't a trap or anything.

She opened it and read silently, wondering what was going on.

**Hikari-chan!**

_**This** _ **is the first day of your training!**

**I knew you'd be the first to awaken. Well, so begins the week of your training. Tenzo and I have placed you three in the Forty-fourth Training Ground and for the next five days, you must survive. The tower** _**is** _ **off limits.**

**Oh! You also have to find a scroll that has been hidden somewhere you wouldn't suspect. And no, it's not** **in** **or** **on** _**the** _ **tower. If you don't have it, you'll stay in there for another week.**

**Just so you know, I have some friends in low places who are going to help me with this training exercise, so make sure you hide evidence of your presence and sleep with one eye open.**

**The** _**scroll** _ **is special. Don't destroy it!**

**Good luck! :)**

Hikari looked up and then spun around as she took in her surroundings once again, heart beginning to pound wildly.

Oh shit! This did not happen in the anime or the manga! He left them in the Forest of Death! For a week!

She looked down at the letter, she gave a weak chuckle. Did Garth Brooks exist in this world? Low places her ass! He had fucking ties in Anbu! If he called them up, they were so fucked.

Rolling the scroll up, she moved over to nudge Sasuke and Naruto awake. They came to and looked up at her in confusion.

"Sensei took the training mission to the extreme," she told them.

They both shot up, looking around in horror.

"Where are we?" Sasuke asked, giving her a frown.

"Training Ground Forty-Four, also known as the Shi no Mori."

Naruto blanched, "Death?"

"We have five days to 'survive' in here. And not just that, but we have to find a scroll that is somewhere 'unsuspecting'," she told them, using the bunny marks when necessary.

"It can't be  _that_ bad," Sasuke remarked, not looking so worried.

Hikari gave him a bland look.

"The Forest of Death is where they hold the Second Exam in the Chunin Exams. Teams are locked in here for five days where they have to find a scroll to accompany the first they were given. The test is designed to cut numbers in half exactly. Say forty teams go in. Twenty are given heaven scrolls and the other twenty are given earth scrolls. You need both to pass to the next exam and only have five days. Death and injury is assured. Kakashi-sensei is preparing us for that time.

What you don't know about the forest, is that there are twenty different species of venomous insects, including centipedes that are as long as the trees are tall. There are also a mutated version of leeches that are as big as a grown man, scattered about. Then there are the various animals that are abnormally large, such as tigers and bears. And there are man eating plants as well."

Both boys looked horrified.

"And to add onto all of that, Kakashi-sensei warned us to cover our tracks and sleep with one eye open while searching for the scroll, because he has 'friends in low places', helping him out. And if we don't get the scroll by the end of the five days, we'll be in here for another five days!"

"We're fucked."

Surprisingly, this did not come from Hikari. Instead, Sasuke was the one to use foul language, which had Hikari and Naruto gaping at him in awe. The Uchiha cursed.

"We'll get through this! -ttebayo!"

"So this is like, pre Chunin Exams training then? He did say we were at Chunin level," Sasuke suggested, fixing his bag on his back.

"I guess, but we're going to have to try really hard. We need a lot of eyes and ears. Naruto, you know what to do."

The redhead nodded and created several hundred Kage Bunshin.

"They're going to spread out and Henge into various things when necessary. Hopefully, we'll be able to get this done and over with."

Flashes of red spread out through the trees, until the Genin were alone once more.

* * *

Their first night went pretty easy. That was, until Hikari woke up to find Naruto missing and his chakra signature not within range.

She quickly woke Sasuke up and explained the redhead's absence.

Sasuke immediately spotted the footprints that led away from their makeshift camp and suggested that they follow them. Hikari wasn't so believing. It reminded her of the Avatar episode, 'The Chase', where they tried to lead Azula and her friends in two separate directions.

She looked around, in the minimal light the small fire gave, trying to find a sign of something. Something that pointed to Naruto's abductor's true path.

The ground where he had been laying was covered in dirt that looked to be pushed around. Like a sloppy dirt angel. He had struggled.

She turned slowly, eyeing the trees and smirking in victory when she saw it. Not too far away, was a branch that was half broken. The break facing her direction and the branch was now pointing in front of her. Naruto had still struggled even as they took him away. Enough for him to leave evidence.

"Sasuke, they went this way. Check out the branch and how it was broken."

The Uchiha looked to where her finger pointed and took note of the branch. He sighed. "They're trying to lead us off the trail. Smart. Tricky. Let's go get our dobe back."

Before they could move, Naruto appeared from behind a tree, pulling leaves from his hair. "Hey Hikari-chan!  _Teme_. Bastards came out of nowhere and hogtied me! I kicked their asses! -ttebayo!"

Hikari rushed forward and enveloped the redhead in a hug, arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you're okay, Naru-Naru. What would I do if your spot in my harem was suddenly a void?"

"I don't know, cry?"

Hikari smirked as she raised her right hand and tapped two chakra filled fingers to a point on his neck, knocking him unconscious. She released him and his body dropped to the ground in a thud. The Henge disappeared and Hikari recognized Chunin, Hagane Kotetsu. Twenty-four years old, born July 21st, blood type B, Ninja Registration Number: 012050. Likes to eat pure syrup, oden and tuna topped with grated nagaimo. Hates bitter melon with a passion. Close ranged Bukijutsu specialist and a little over average with Genjutsu. She smirked, knowing what to do to him.

"Sasuke, let's teach this amateur Chunin not to mess with Team 7, okay?"

The Uchiha smirked darkly and together, they stripped Kotetsu of everything he owned, except his underwear and the white bandage strip across the bridge of his nose.

Once they had his weapons in their possession, they tied him up with ninja wire and dangled him from the trees above, over the fire, which they deliberately made bigger as a warning for the Chunin awoke. Once a few other traps were set, they left to go and find Naruto.

They split up his weapons and scrolls and burned his clothing so that he'd have to walk around like that. Hopefully, one of his friends would find him before someone animal did. If not, well then his death wasn't on their hands. He started it.

Hikari let out a small giggle when she spotted the red strands on the broken branch. Further ahead were even more strands, littering the branches. Naruto was pulling a Kushina and her 'red thread of fate' plan.

Some things really ran in the family it seemed. Maybe Naruto could learn Fuinjutsu and be just like the Uzumakis were.

She collected the strands as they moved and tried to feel out Naruto's chakra signature, or someone else's chakra at least.

She felt foreign chakra ahead and used Naruto's Henge, turning into Kotetsu and released the large conch mace he liked to use in battle. She looked at Sasuke and he nodded, jumping ahead of her and she began swinging the large weapon at him. It was easy to wield when she added chakra to her hands.

They broke into a clearing, where Naruto was being held by some wire and a cloth and Hikari narrowly missed hitting Sasuke with the mace. She recognized Kamizuki Izumo, partner to Kotetsu, Water Chakra affinity. Chunin, blood type A, Ninja Registration Number: 012049, twenty-four years old, born November 25th.

"Izumo!" she called out in Kotetsu's voice.

The Chunin fell for her trick a reacted instantly, using, Suiton: Mizuame Nabara **(A/N: Water Release: Syrup Trap)**. Sasuke was caught in the syrup and Hikari grinned, releasing her seals and flashing toward Izumo, who didn't have time enough to react.

With a hit from the conch mace, he was unconscious. Sasuke used a Kawarimi **(A/N: Substitution)**  to get out of the syrup and his nose wrinkled in disgust.

Hikari released the Henge and replaced the weight seals. Sasuke assisted Naruto out of his bindings and the redhead. "I knew you guys wouldn't fall for their trick! You're too smart for that!"

Sasuke smacked his male teammate upside the head. "How did you get caught anyway, dobe?!"

"Genjutsu about ramen and when I finally noticed, it was too late. Hand over my mouth and then I was squirming, trying kick the spiky one. But then the other one was hitting me with the butt of a kunai, but he couldn't knock me out. It was a whole messy ordeal, just in the kidnapping."

"Well, we took care of the spiky one,  _real_ good."

Hikari and Sasuke shared a smirk of amusement.

Naruto pointed to Izumo, "What do we do with him?"

"You can have that honor," Hikari said, pushing him forward.

There was an evil chuckle, which escalated into a vicious cackle that rang through the forest. Sasuke and Hikari backed away slowly as Naruto set to work. Hikari looked away when the redhead actually  _stripped the Chunin all the way_. She didn't see the rest of the revenge, but from the look on Sasuke's face, it was epic.

"Okay, we can go now!"

With a roll of their eyes, the other two members of Team 7 nodded and they set off.

* * *

"These damn things are fast!"

Third night into the forest and there was no scroll yet and they had stumbled upon the leeches.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Katon and Futon combination, now!"

Sasuke nodded and followed her order with Katon: Zukokku **(A/N: Fire Release: Searing Migraine)** , while Naruto added his Futon: Atsugai **(A/N: Wind Release: Pressure damage)**.

The large fire covered the entire section of the forest, hopefully destroying the damn bloodsuckers.

"Where to now?" Naruto asked as they tree ran.

"Should we try the water? I can't think of where they'd put a scroll. He expressly said not to go to the tower because it wasn't in or on the tower. That leaves us to the mercy of the forest."

Sasuke nodded to Hikari's words.

Naruto squeaked, "Guys, is it me or is that a  _really big_  centipede?! -ttebayo!"

Team 7 separated as the long body of the black centipede nearly landed on them. The tree branch snapped in half and fell to the forest floor with a loud thud.

Naruto was balancing on a thin branch high above them. Hikari and Sasuke both were standing on a tree trunk, on opposite sides of the enormous creature that let loose the most disgusting noise. Like how a cricket sounded and a clicking noise at once.

The Genin moved away from the beast, leaving it behind.

"Here's the river."

It was long and had a small bridge, which confused Hikari because ninja could just walk on the water.

"So, who volunteers to go skinny dipping?!" she asked with a grin.

Silence...

* * *

There was no scroll in the water. Nor was there one around the perimeter of the tower.

Sometimes, Hikari wished they were in the Harry Potter world just so she could say, 'Accio scroll' and be done with the whole thing.

"That's it!" she said, coming to a stop by the riverside. The boys stopped along with her, wondering what she was up to.

She bit her thumb, wiped the blood on the back of her hand and made the signs.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Five Ligers, about as tall as she was, appeared.

Hikari pulled the instruction scroll from Kakashi out of her pocket and held it out to them. "Can you guys scout the forest and see if you can find anything with the same scent that's on this scroll?"

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look and took her example to heart, both summoning several creatures of their own and asking the same of them.

The gathered felines got a good look at each other, before sniffing the scroll quickly and disappearing.

"We'll stay here tonight. If they don't find anything, I think I may know where the scroll is," Hikari said, looking down at the scroll in her hand.

It was all too convenient really. A scroll set in an 'unsuspecting' place. She reread the message and frowned. Kakashi had a weird way of putting emphasis on things. Either underline or italicize it, but pick one at least!

She looked at the italicized word, compared to the underlined words. Problem was, she wouldn't put emphasis on the italicized words. They weren't in the right place for her to do so. The underlined words were alright, but she just didn't get the other part.

A few hours later, the felines all returned, claiming that the only thing in the forest with the scent of the scroll, was the scroll, which prompted her to look at it again.

Could it really be?

There was no way that the scroll she was holding was actually the one they had been searching for. Right?

She tried to find a clue. Something that would tell her if she was right.

"What's wrong, Hikari?" Naruto asked, looking over her shoulder at the scroll.

"I think this may be the scroll we're supposed to give him."

"What?"

She shrugged, "Well, they said nothing else in the forest smells like Kakashi except this scroll. And Kakashi stated that it was in an 'unsuspecting' place. Who would assume that we would have it with us the whole time while running around like chickens with our heads cut off?"

They didn't answer, opting to just stare at the scroll in her hands instead.

"What I find particularly vexatious, is that I cannot determine if there is some sort of clue in here or not. It's frustrating."

"Let me see!" Naruto said, taking the scroll from her hands.

Sasuke scoffed, "Dobe, I highly doubt that you would be able to-"

"I got it!"

Hikari's mouth dropped open in shock and Sasuke looked at the redhead disbelievingly. There was just no way, was there?

Naruto was nodding vehemently. "Yeah! It says so in italics. ' _This is the scroll_ '. Wonder how you didn't get that, Hikari."

HIkari took the scroll back and proceeded to look it over again.

**Hikari-chan!**

_**This** _ **is the first day of your training!**

**I knew you'd be the first to awaken. Well, so begins the week of your training. Tenzo and I have placed you three in the Forty-fourth Training Ground and for the next five days, you must survive. The tower** _**is** _ **off limits.**

**Oh! You also have to find a scroll that has been hidden somewhere you wouldn't suspect. And no, it's not** **in** **or** **on** _**the** _ **tower. If you don't have it, you'll stay in there for another week.**

**Just so you know, I have some friends in low places who are going to help me with this training exercise, so make sure you hide evidence of your presence and sleep with one eye open.**

**The** _**scroll** _ **is special. Don't destroy it!**

**Good luck! :)**

A palm to the face echoed around the area. How did she not get that?

"So, that is the scroll then?" Sasuke asked hesitantly, looking at it.

"Yes! I'm awesome! -ttebayo!"

They remained in silence for the evening, knowing that they still had possibly two full days left in the hell hole of a forest.

The sound of cicadas filled the silence.

* * *

"How many more fucking Chunin did he employ?!"

"A lot, it seems!"

They had been awoken on their fifth day, by fire. A big as hell Katon Jutsu coming down on them. Hikari, thanks to her speed, was able to release her weight seals and grab Sasuke and Naruto, as well as their belongings, and make an escape into the river, which carried them down stream.

Their pursuers were taken out by the currents. Apparently, the water was really fast and therefore, made it difficult for them to get a proper footing. Katon Jutsus didn't work because the Genin would just duck under the water.

A properly used Suiton jutsu and they were able to use the water as a cover to get to dry land and into the trees.

And so commenced the running.

"We'd ave to corner them. There are only three, from what I can sense. One for each of us."

Naruto nodded and whistled with his thumb and index finger. There was a multitude of pops and smoke, before Naruto Kage Bunshin appeared, letting out war cries.

The Genin all reacted instantly and Hikari charged the fastest adversary, hitting a point in both shoulder blades with her chakra filled fingertips. His arms sagged immediately and she proceeded to kick him in the face and knock him unconscious. He wasn't one she'd seen before, not that it mattered. There were plenty of nameless Chunin in ninja villages.

Sasuke had engaged another Chunin, whom she recognized as Hana Inuzuka.

Hikari pulled Sasuke aside from the ninken that were with the woman and summoned her Ligers to take care of them.

Casting a quick glance around the area, she began to relay information to Sasuke.

"Inuzuka Hana, Chunin, born April 13th, 18 years old. Blood type is O, Ninja Registration Number: 012368, she's the medical ninja of this attack squad and technically shouldn't be fighting at all. However, as an Inuzuka she's adept at working Taijutsu maneuvers with her ninken, the Three Haimaru Brothers. She's a good tracker and will find us pretty quickly with her advanced senses. Without her ninken, she's not so great at fighting. Katon and Taijutsu would probably be best on her. Good luck."

Sasuke nodded his appreciation and the split ways, just as Hana found them.

Hikari left Sasuke to deal with the Medical Ninja, while she went to overview Naruto's opponent.

She caught a Kage Bunshin by the collar and said, "Tatami Iwashi, Chunin, age 23, born January 2nd, Blood type O. Ninja Registration Number: 012021, part of the Hokage's Guard. He doesn't have any special skills, but can use the Hiraishin in conjunction with the other guards. He's not a threat to you. Take him out." Hikari then punched the Bunshin and made it dispel.

"Thanks Hikari! I'll win! -ttebayo!"

By the time it was over, Sasuke had Hana tied to a tree while Hikari's summons had completely decimated the Three Haimaru Brothers. Naruto's opponent as unconscious and was being propped up beside the female Inuzuka. Hikari's guy was a slump on the ground.

"Isn't this a delightful sight. My kawaii Genin taking out the big bad Chunin," a voice sang.

Hikari turned to see Kakashi and Tenzo appear out of thin air.

"So, does Team 7 stay in the forest for another week, or not?"

Hikari pulled out the scroll and threw it at his silver head.

"I will have you know, Naruto was the one to figure it out."

Kakashi started, even after catching the scroll. "Really?" he asked in a skeptical tone.

"Hey! I can have smart moment too you know! -ttebayo!"

Hikari shrugged, "I had the thought and he proved it. It's all him."

"Really?" Kakashi reiterated.

"You suck sensei! You suck big time!"

Hikari began to snicker as perverted thoughts raced through her mind. Sasuke flashed her a confused look and she shrugged. "I'm a pervert, let's leave it at that." She then looked at the Jonin and asked, "Can we leave now?"

He eye smiled. "I think my kawaii Genin deserve some real food. Follow me!"

The Genin sighed in relief and gladly followed him out of the deadly forest.

* * *

**A/N: Another one done.**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Let me know!
> 
> Check out my other fics.
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	8. The First 'Real' C-rank Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mission to Mizugakure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check the end for a rant against idiots.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

"Hey Kakashi-sensei! What happened to the Chunin that we tied up and pranked?" Naruto asked suddenly while they walked toward the tower for their first C-rank mission with Kakashi.

The Jonin looked up from his book, giving them a narrowed look.

"Kotetsu couldn't move for a while after waking up. I assume that was Hikari-chan's doing."

Cue Hikari's sadistic grin.

"And when he noticed that he was very nearly nude, he screamed like a little girl. It took the joint effort of his fellow Chunin to get him down without springing the other traps and the wire. Good job with those, Sasuke, Hikari."

Sasuke gave a satisfied smirk and Hikari kept grinning.

"And when he realized all of his weapons, money and clothes were gone, he may have used a few tears."

Naruto snorted and Hikari smiled wider. "What about Kamizuki-san? I don't know fully what happened to him because I looked away when Naruto took all his clothes off."

"Eh, heh heh. Naruto's handiwork obviously," Kakashi said, putting his Icha Icha in his pouch.

"So, the trap he woke up in, was very detailed, though a little unorthodox. Still good work Naruto," Kakashi praised he redhead who grinned at his achievement. "Anyway, as you know Naruto stripped him and it gets even mroe embarrassing than that."

Hikari listened patiently, wanting to know how bad it was.

"We found Izumo-san in a six by six foot hole, nude, surrounded by ramen cups and ramen noodles. Mere inches above him, was a lot of ninja wire which was covered in an assortment of weapons pointing downward and paper bombs everywhere. Sticking to underside of the wire, somehow, were several graphic pictures from Icha Icha Paradise. Izumo-san's self control was put to the test because even the barest of movement, could hit either a weapon or a paper bomb. Naruto, I found it particularly evil that you put a paper bomb right above his manhood while torturing him with lovely nude pictures of the female frame. We had to call in a Nara to help solve how to get him out of there."

Hikari roared loudly in laughter. She looked over at Naruto, who was looking proud at his accomplishment.

The little bastard put naked picture of hot chicks in front of a guys who was tied up and then put an explosive near his crotch which would threaten to blow up it he got hard. Evil! Genius! Amazing!

"Honestly," Kakashi continued. "I cannot discern which was the worst part of the whole trap. The ramen, the pictures or the threat of genital detonation."

Sasuke finally joined in on the merriment with a loud snort that he tried to cover up. It was impossible though. Naruto's devious mind was just too funny to ignore.

They walked into the Mission Assignment Room, completely freaking everyone out with their combined laughter. The Genin paid them no mind as they continued to reminisce over their time in the forest. It wasn't so bad, now that they thought back on it.

"Team 7, here for a mission, Hokage-sama."

The old shinobi smiled and listed a few missions. Kakashi looked at his Genin, who were finally composing themselves.

"What do you three say? A mission as envoys to Mizu no Kuni's border or a mission as envoys to Takigakure?" Kakashi asked them.

Hikari frowned, suddenly going serious. "That depends really. Is Kiri still referred to as Chigiri no Sato? Did they finally stop the Kekkei Genkai purge? Is the Yondaime Mizukage dead yet? If not, then I would say Takigakure is best."

Every ninja, Chunin and up in the room, gaped at her. She knew she had just spouted some information that a lot of ninja wouldn't know, but it was really important for squad safety.

"They have a new Mizukage who is trying to strengthen their ties among the nations once more. Yagura's excessive rule damaged Kirigakure's good reputation. The Godaime Mizukage has two Kekkei Genkai and does not persecute those with bloodlines. No one knows where Yagura is," the Hokage explained.

Hikari looked him in the eyes. "Only to the border of Mizu no Kuni? That's it?"

"Yes."

Hikari, Sasuke and Naruto all turned to each other and began a silent conversation. The boys gave her similar looks, asking if it was okay to take the mission. She thought about it for a moment, before nodding.

"We'll take the Mizu no Kuni mission," Sasuke said with finality.

"Are you sure?"

Team 7 nodded together, "Yes."

The old ninja shrugged and handed the scroll over. He then handed Kakashi a smaller scroll. "That needs to make its way into the hands of Ao of Kirigakure. He will be meeting you at the border of the island. Do not give it to anyone else and do not read it."

Kakashi bowed, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

Team 7 followed his example and they left the office.

"Meet at the North Gate in half an hour. Prepare for a couple weeks of traveling."

"Are you actually going to be on time?" Hikari asked with a her head cocked to the side.

"Yes."

They split ways, the Genin going home to restock on weapons and to seal their camping equipment in their scrolls in order to keep their packs light in weight. Naruto filled his with ramen, Sasuke had some extra books and Hikari had a few scrolls on nature manipulation that she had to study, so their traveling to Mizu no Kuni wouldn't be boring at least.

"You're here before us!" Naruto exclaimed when they reached the gate and saw Kakashi standing peacefully next to Izumo and Kotetsu.

Team 7 each gave the two Chunin evil smirks, causing them to blanch in fear and sit as far back in their seats as they could get.

They signed out and proceeded out the gate.

* * *

They were attacked on the third day of their journey, by several Kusa nuke nin. Sasuke and Naruto looked to Hikari for guidance.

"Low Chunin, go for the kill, but don't look them in the eye. They aren't important, no special skills to speak of. Leave one alive for interrogation."

It had started much like canon Team 7 had on their first C-rank mission. Hiding enemy, Kakashi 'dies' and Genin have to fight.

Except when Kakashi suddenly exploded, none of the Genin batted an eyelash. Instead, the boys looked to Hikari, asking for her direction and she gave the orders immediately.

The female of the team, went straight for the biggest enemy. In one move, she disabled his arms fast enough to run her kunai over his exposed throat. She didn't watch as the body hit the ground and just moved onto her next victim.

Sasuke dealt with two ninja on his own, using his Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu **(A/N: Fire Release: Phoenix Flower)**  on them. The closest one went down easily, but the second managed to dodge his attack.

Being an Uchiha, Sasuke was skilled with ninja wire. It was like a particular art that all Uchiha were taught, even if they weren't ninja. Almost like the Juken for the Hyuga. Sasuke made good use of his wires, pulling them out and whipping them around to capture his opponent and tangle them within.

Once they were strapped to the trunk of a tree, he used Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu **(A/N: Fire Release: Dragon Flame)**  and the ninja was gone.

Naruto's battle, was filled with Kage Bunshin. Punches, kicks, shuriken. The redhead used Kawarimi **(A/N: Substitution)**  with one of his enemies. That one; brought him closer to the other enemy, but two; made the nuke nin kill his own comrade. He didn't really think about what he was doing and just rushed forward, slamming his kunai into the man's gut.

Hikari had the last opponent, which she quickly took care of. He collapsed to the ground, unable to move a muscle, glaring up at the three Genin who surrounded him.

"Good work you three!"

Hikari smiled as Kakashi appeared from the res. "You missed all the action, sensei."

"Sorry. Nature called and I couldn't ignore her. It's rude you know. Seems like you all did a good job."

The Jonin walked over and looked down at the Chunin. "Now, who are you?"

"I'll never talk!"

Sasuke scoffed, "Did you  _not_ just see us kill your comrades easily?"

Hikari nodded, "Yes. You tell us what you wanted and we let you go back to wherever it is that you came from. Life in tact. If you don't, be sure that you will die, eventually."

The man's eyes widened and he gasped out, "E-eventually?!"

An evil smirk took control of her lips. She wound and arm around Naruto's shoulders, "Yes. My friend here is really good at torture. Why, he once tied a man up in a pit with wire and explosives, that would go off if he moved even an inch. Even worse, said explosives were near the victim's privates and he was surrounded by pictures of naked women. Getting it up had never been so dangerous before."

The man let out a horrified squeak, which had Naruto chuckling again. That creepy one from the Shi no Mori.

"At least know that you won't die a virgin. Naruto knows how to use a kunai really well and you won't even feel the stretch."

Naruto was cackling again as he pulled out a kunai and caressed the handle. "Hikari, do you have anything longer?"

"We're just stealing money, I swear!" the captured Chunin screamed, watching as Naruto played with his weapon.

"And you aren't a part of some large crime syndicate?" Hikari asked, eyes narrowing.

"No!"

"Naruto, strip him of all weapons and money. We'll leave once he's completely not a threat."

"Yes!"

* * *

They caught a boat at the shore of Hi no Kuni and they would be traveling across the water for about a day, before reaching land once more.

Naruto and Sasuke pulled Hikari aside to talk about their first killings. Both were under the impression that they needed some help because they hadn't felt anything when they made their first kills.

"You didn't look them in the eye. Generally, a first kill is hardest when you watch the life drain from the eyes of your enemy. I told you not to look them in the eye for a good reason. You can't handle that sort of thing right now.

We are ninja. Basically, mercenaries for hire. Killing is an expected part of the job. Some people forget that part and when they kill, they can't handle the emotions that come afterward. I'm not too sure about you both and I want you to refrain from looking in the eyes of your opponents. It'll just be easier on you."

Naruto pouted for a good few hours and Sasuke sat in contemplative silence, fingers linked under his chin as he thought. It was reminiscent to his 'brooder' pose from the canon of Naruto.

Kakashi allowed them to handle their problems and he didn't question Hikari's explanations. She just smiled, knowing full well that Kakashi understood.

Mizu no Kuni was very…..jungle like. A lot of trees were around and the air almost seemed wet. Their was also a slight mist, but not enough to hinder the vision of Team 7 or the passengers of the boat.

The gate that they were to meet Ao by, was about two miles into the island. The gate was marked as the border of Mizu no Kuni. It was a large Tori arch and was blue.

Ao stood at attention, under the arch.

Hikari felt her stomach flip uncomfortably. Something just didn't seem right. Ao didn't smile in the anime or manga. He always looked stern. Even when exchanging pleasantries he looked like a sour grape. So why was he smiling like everyone was friendly?

She slowed her gait, making sure she was right beside Kakashi. "Sensei, I don't think that's Ao."

"He matches the description," the Jonin stated, flipping a page in his Icha Icha.

She shook her head lightly. "This guy is in the bingo book and is known for being hardass who doesn't smile. This just doesn't seem right."

Kakashi's eyes slid to her form and he saw her frowning. He then looked up at the man who was standing under the arch.

"How would we tell if he is Ao or not?"

"Let me do it."

When they were within hearing distance, Hikari smiled at 'Ao' and waved.

"Hi Ao-san! When Shisui-nii found out I was going to meet you, he wanted me to tell you that he can't wait fight you again. Said something about your Byakugan being formidable and giving him a good battle."

She saw the man's shoulders stiffen slightly and his smile become a bit strained. "Oh. You can tell Shisui-san that I look forward to it."

She nodded, released her weights and rushed forward, slamming her hands into his shoulders while her feet landed on his knees.

He went down instantly.

"W-what was that for?"

"Hikari!" Naruto yelled in horror.

She ignored her teammates. "You aren't Ao, who are you?"

"Of course I'm Ao, you stupid girl!"

Hikari snorted, "Ao, had a really long battle many years ago, with a young man named Uchiha Shisui. He fell prey to Shunshin no Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan. Everyone in the elemental nations knows that the Uchiha are dead, which means Ao would have immediately commented that he wasn't alive anymore."

This revelation put her team on edge and Kakashi put his book away while the boys grabbed their kunai.

"Also, it is not common knowledge that Ao has a Byakugan under the eye-patch. If you were really Ao, you would have demanded to know how I knew such a thing. Now where is the real Ao?"

The man smirked and tried to move. The smirk disappeared when he realized he was immobilized.

"You are at our mercy, so either tell us what we want to know and we turn you over to Kirigakure, or we kill you now."

Kakashi cleared his throat, "Should we even continue the mission?"

" _Yes_ ," Sasuke said like it was the most obvious answer ever. "We are supposed to give the scroll to Ao. He isn't here yet, so we can't hand it over. Therefore, the mission is still on."

"I agree with teme, we're not done with the mission yet, so we have to keep going. -ttebayo!"

"You'll all die!"

Their attention was dragged back to the captive, who was moving his hips in a very vague imitation of a worm. Though Hikari doubted that it was intentional.

Hikari stomped on the man's stomach, making him drop his Henge.

While he screamed in pain, Hikari looked him over.

"Ugatsu," she stated clearly.

The ninja froze and looked at her in horror. "W-what?"

"You're an Amegakure nuke ninja. Once you followed in the steps of Sanshouo no Hanzo, but when your leader was eradicated some odd years ago and the leader of Amegakure began to kill everyone who willingly associated with him, you fled. You're about twenty-five or twenty-six, high Chunin level, possibly low Jonin. You have no amazing skills except for infiltration, which isn't much compared my Uzumaki friend here and of Hatake Kakashi who is my Jonin sensei. You're nothing special."

Ugatsu paled the more she spoke. His breaths coming in through the mask over his mouth, quickly.

Kakashi sidled up to her and asked, "How did you know all of that?"

"It's something I can do, sensei. Think of it like another Kekkei Genkai I guess. Why do you think Naruto and Sasuke look to me for instruction when you aren't around?"

"We'll talk about that later. First, we have to deal with the rouge."

Team 7 sat back and watched as Kakashi 'coaxed' the information they needed out of Ugatsu. If Hikari thought what Naruto did to Izumo was bad, this topped it completely. She was shaking by the time it was over. A look at Sasuke and Naruto, showed the redhead was throwing up in some nearby bushes and Sasuke was looking a bit green, eyes averted.

Once the enemy was reduced to a fit of tears and the embarrassment of soiling himself, Kakashi had what they needed.

"He's working with six others, who think that whatever is in this scroll, is going to strengthen ties between Kirigakure and Konohagakure. They may be correct, but we won't know because we are not to open the scroll.

So, they had it in their minds that if they took the scroll and it never reached its destination, then the relationship between Hi no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni would become strained and Kirigakure's attempts at renegotiating the alliances it had many years ago, would be trampled."

"Where are his comrades?" Sasuke asked, looking ready for a fight.

"About six kilometers north of this spot. They are waiting for him, with the real Ao tied and unconscious that last time he saw him."

"Should we deal with them so they can't get in the way of our mission, or just leave them?" Naruto inquired, squirting slightly.

Hikari nodded, "I think we should deal with them, before they possibly become a problem."

"I agree. Hn."

The Genin looked at Kakashi, waiting for him to give some sort of response.

"That would be prudent, but how would we go about it?"

Hikari snickered suddenly, "I got it!" When she had their attention, she continued. "Naruto taught us his special Henge. So, one of us Henge's into Ugatsu and then one of us Henge's into the _hitai-ate_ to wear and another into the mask. Then the last person….well, I can't think further than that but yeah."

"I like that idea! -ttebayo!"

"Hn."

"It has merit. Much better than what I was thinking. We could go with that, But who should be directly in the ambush?" Kakashi asked, finger placed on his chin as he thought.

The Genin all looked at each other with wicked smirks on their faces and said at once, "Mushi ken!"

Their hands came down.

* * *

Hikari ended up having to Henge as Ugatsu as Kakashi tied him up. Sasuke and Naruto Henged into her face mask and hitai-ate respectively. When Kakashi finished tying the Ame nuke nin up, he Henged a simple sealing scroll to look like the mission scroll and handed it to Hikari.

"I won't be too far behind you. Can you pull this off on your own?"

Hikari rolled her eyes and accepted the scroll. "Yes, sensei. We are at least Chunin level already. I'm positive we can handle this."

The silver Jonin sighed, but nodded. "Okay. I'll only intervene if it becomes too difficult for you."

She nodded and headed off in the direction of Ugatsu's comrades. She felt like this situation mirrored the one missions to Tenchi Bridge. She found herself wishing that Tenzo could be there.

After a few minutes of running through the dense forest of Mizu no Kuni, she came upon the small camp of Nuke nin.

She gave a humorless chuckle as she landed and held the scroll up. "Foolish peace loving Konoha ninja. So quick to trust. It'll kill them one day."

She didn't not recognize the collected group of men but by the way they acted, she could tell that they weren't  _too_ skilled. None of them were watching her like she could possibly be an enemy. Instead, they were laughing at her words.

"Good work, Ugatsu. What should we do now?" one of the men asked, taking the scroll from her.

Hikari decided to throw caution to the wind, "I still say we should assassinate the Ame leader and take over."

The collection of men all groaned, each murmuring something like, 'not again', 'can't you think of anything else?' and 'get better ideas'.

She huffed, "You'll agree one day."

"Not likely," one of the smaller members of the group mumbled while he flipped through the book in his lap.

Hikari took her  _hitai-ate_ off and began to wring it out, since it was so wet because of the moisture in the air. She then set it to her right. She then pulled the  _mask_ off and dangled it upside down as if to get the water out of it.

"Don't start stripping here," one of the men snapped.

Hikari threw him a smirk, "What? Scared that I'm bigger than you?"

The ninja scoffed, "You are not bigger than me. We all know I have the biggest of all of us! I just don't want to see your pasty ass!"

"And how would you know it's pasty? Paying too much attention to my anatomy, huh?" she fired back.

The ninja got close to her, towering over her smaller form. Hikari gave him a dark look. "Back up now," she ordered in a dangerous tone.

"And what are you going to do if I don't?" he challenged, grinning like he had won the lottery or something.

"Knock you on your ass."

"Like you even have a chance!"

Her hand flashed out instantly and she stabbed his neck with her chakra filled fingertips. His body collapsed to the ground and she quirked a brow in interest when no one moved to reprimand her for her actions. Apparently, that was a norm between the guy and Ugatsu.

She let her attention roam over the campsite. Ao was strapped to a nearby tree. She had to wonder at what skill level these men were at if they were able to take Ao out. Ao was an ex hunter and part of the Anbu. He had badass skills and if he was taken out by this little ragtag group, they must have been pretty good at least.

She'd need her speed for it. That was definitely an obvious thing. She subtly released the weight seals on her legs and looked around the group, gauging each of them and trying to choose the strongest in order to take him out.

"What are you looking at?" one big one to her left growled, glaring at her.

She smirked in a cocky manner, "I bet I could kick your ass."

His bulging muscles, which were exposed because of his muscle shirt, flexed. "Oh really? Try it, little man! I'll even give you first hit, since we all know that you're not very good at fighting except sneak attacks, you could use all the help you can get," he taunted.

Hikari flashed forward and hit him in the neck, just like the previous guy. He fell backwards in a thump.

"It's called practice, idiot. So not only am I better at infiltration than you, but I also can kick your ass in a fight. I'm  _so_ much better."

She then stomped her foot twice and two poofs alerted the gathered shinobi. Naruto and Sasuke appeared suddenly and Hikari joined them in rushing their enemies, her Henge dropping instantly.

Hikari was able to disable another ninja and Naruto had created several hundred Kage Bunshin to help out in the battle.

Hikari flipped away from one enemy and landed near Ao, who was sitting calmly, though he was tied to a tree trunk.

She leaned into him and whispered, "I need to know if you're the real Ao. What's the Mizukage's husbands' name?"

His visible eye narrowed, "She doesn't have a husband and she is past her prime in any case, in my day…"

She placed a hand over his mouth, "I get it, you're Ao."

She cut his ties and said, "We're the team from Konoha that were supposed to give you a scroll, but I knew the guy we met wasn't you and since our orders were to give the scroll to  _you…_ "

"You came to find me instead," he finished, looking intrigued.

"It was the right thing to do," she shrugged it off.

She looked back at the battle, which Naruto and Sasuke were doing very well on their own in. Sasuke unleashed a Katon Jutsu and incinerated one man on the spot. Naruto and his Kage Bunshin knocked another out, leaving the last one for them to deal with together.

Kakashi appeared when the last man was down for good, waving his hand in greeting. "Well done you three."

Hikari noticed Sasuke giving her a dirty look and she rolled her eyes. "Don't even go there Uchiha." She cleared her throat, "I took two out on my own before the battle even began. And then another when it did begin. I played my part well enough." Her voice then became teasing. "Unless you're admitting to needing a girl's help?"

He scowled, "Normally, I'd be against such things, but you aren't a normal girl Accepting help from you wouldn't destroy my ego."

Hikari jaw dropped. That was the most unSasuke like thing she had ever heard come out of his mouth! And that was when she realized how different he was from the canon Sasuke. Admitting in front of his team and a foreign shinobi that he didn't mind asking a female for help, took guts. Good for him!

Kakashi's attention was drawn to Ao, who was standing by then, with his hands held firmly behind his back. He looked stern, his mouth set in a firm line.

"As a Jonin of Kirigakure, I'd like to ask you to accompany me to the Mizukage's office. She will want to speak you about this, Hatake-san."

Kakashi looked at his Genin, who all shrugged in response.

"Very well then, we'll go with you and help carry the bodies while at it."

Hikari, Naruto and Sasuke proceeded to round the bodies up and strip the ninja of their weapons.

"Hey look! A kusarigama! -ttebayo!"

Hikari gave Sasuke a confused look and he rolled his eyes. Naruto was weird.

Once they each got a man to carry, they took off. Ao promised to send someone for Ugatsu along the way. Out of the six, only one was incinerated, leaving them to carry one each.

The journey to Kirigakure was pretty easy going. Since Team 7 could keep up for a lot longer than other fresh Genin teams, they didn't need to stop. The only time they stopped, was when Hikari had to knock some of the living guys out. Other than that nothing but smooth sailing to Kiri.

The gate of Kiri, there was only one, unlike Konoha which had four. The gate was a tori arch and it was blue. Mizu no Kuni seemed to like blue, just like Hi no Kuni liked red.

Ao showed identification and the nuke ninjas were removed from Team 7 and tied up. The team then had to give their identification and get logged in to the village, in order to receive passports that would allow them to walk around freely.

Hikari rolled her eyes. Nothing like this was ever really touched upon in the manga or anime. So many curious details always left out when most important.

Anbu guards escorted them alongside Ao, to the Mizukage's office. Said woman, was just as Hikari had expected. Long red hair that looked like a wac Christmas tree from behind. Her blue battle dress was low cut and showed a large amount of cleavage. Hikari found it confusing, that the woman had yet to be married. Were men intimidated by her or something?

There was no going around it, the woman was sexy, enough said.

Ao bowed from the waist, "Mizukage-sama, this is the team from Konoha that came to deliver the scroll."

Terumi Mei looked their little group over and quirked a brow. "Weren't they supposed to only meet you at the gate of Mizu no Kuni?"

Ao suddenly looked embarrassed, "Well, I was attacked by seven nuke ninja from Amegakure and they managed to knock me unconscious. I was biding my time to escape, but then Team 7 showed up."

Ao looked over to Kakashi, who actually looked at Hikari. Since she was the one to head most of what happened up, apparently, he wanted he to do the regaling.

Hikari sighed and stepped forward, bowing respectfully to the Mizukage. "Mizukage-sama, my team and I were given the mission that consisted of passing off a scroll to Ao-san."

She gestured to Sasuke, ready to lie her face off. "This is Uchiha Sasuke. His cousin was Uchiha Shisui, who told him many stories of his battles when he was younger. Shisui-san mentioned Ao-san and their battle and Sasuke-san had told me the story. I figured that we should make sure that the man who looked like Ao-san, was indeed him."

She took a deep breath, "I mentioned that Shisui-san wanted to fight Ao-san again, because his Byakugan was formidable. The imposter went wrong immediately, by agreeing to a future match with Shisui-san and not commenting on the Byakugan, part of my greeting. Ao-san knew that Shisui-san was an Uchiha and would also know, like the rest of the Elemental Nations, that the Uchiha are dead. He also didn't question the Byakugan part.

I immobilized him immediately and Kakashi-sensei got the information of where his comrades were and where they were holding the real Ao. I infiltrated their camp and was able to take down two men before my teammates joined in. I took on another easily and then my teammates finished the others. I then freed Ao-san from his bindings and Kakashi-sensei reappeared."

She finished speaking, waiting for something to happen. She had just lied to a Kage. Hopefully, it wouldn't come back to bite her in ass later on.

The Mizukage was silent for a moment, before asking, "What made you want to save Ao?"

Hikari shrugged for the millionth time, "Many reasons. Our mission was to give the scroll to Ao-san and not anyone else. He wasn't there, so we had to find him. Also, we couldn't just let him  _stay_ captured. Finally, helping him is the right thing to do."

"'The right thing to do'?"

"Yes," Hikari answered firmly. "We Konoha shinobi firmly believe in the Will of Fire. Konoha shinobi fight to protect their friends, their family, their acquaintances and even perfect strangers, because life is too short for us to be full of hatred for one another. Too short to let such unimportant things consume our thoughts so often. An old Proverb says that, 'a soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger'. Soft words, actions and thoughts can  _rid_ the world of hate and anger. Why should the fact that someone is from a different nation, or they have a different skin tone, they have an accent or different beliefs, stop us from lending aid when it is needed? It shouldn't. It is not the Will of Fire to let anyone suffer. That is what we grow with and we embody it to the best of our ability. It is our Nindo."

She quieted down once more and had to fight down a flush. About half a day in Mizu no Kuni and she was already waxing philosophical. It must be the moisture in the air.

A glance to the side, showed Naruto and his big blue eyes, staring at her in what she assumed was, amazement.

"I like that. I want to represent that. -ttebayo!"

"Oh really?" she murmured with a smirk.

"Yeah! I'll do my best to be an example of the Will of Fire, like the old man! And I never go back on my word, because it's my personal Nindo! -ttebayo!" Naruto smiled, giving her the 'good guy' pose.

Hikari couldn't help but grin. So Naruto had finally found his ninja way, huh? It was so awesome to see him do it in person!

Mei, seemed amused at their antics and she stood. "If the Will of Fire, is what moved you to help Ao, then you have my gratitude." She then bowed to them, making their eyes go wide.

Kakashi bowed in return and then handed the scroll the whole mission was centered on, to Ao. He then looked back at the Genin and said, "Mission accomplished, team."

After a little more talking and good natured words, Team 7 where on their way, their mission slip signed by the Mizukage herself, saying that it was finished.

They managed to catch a boat to get back to Hi no Kuni before it got too dark, allowing them to rest for the night. It was the next morning, that Kakashi sprung it on her.

"Now, tell me about this Kekkei Genkai of yours."

Shit.

* * *

**Omake:**

"Ao, I'm signing some teams up for the Chunin Exams this year."

The man with the eye-patch looked to his leader in shock.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. I'm curious about this Will of Fire, and those three Genin will be interesting to watch."

Ao sighed, "I'll make the arrangements."

Mei twitched, "E-engagements?"

He froze, "No, I said-"

"Ao, shut up or I'll kill you."

The poor man sighed, wishing a hole would just appear and swallow him up. "No wonder she's single," he murmured to himself.

" _What was that, Ao_?"

* * *

**A/N: Another one is done!**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note for the idiots:
> 
> Hikari(Tamar) is in a dream world. Tamar is a paraplegic, dying from Leukemia. She is going blind, losing her hearing, and can't even move. She was once a happy teenager. Head Cheerleader, a fitness fanatic, with a bright outlook on life. And then a simple hit by a car, turns her life around. She has joint and bone diseases, blood clots, and a pulmonary embolism in her lung, near her heart(which can kill her if it gets too large).
> 
> She continued on to college(university). She was studying Japan. She was intent upon doing something with her life, before ultimately dying painfully. And then she wakes up and she isn't in pain. An amazing thing. And then she sees herself in the mirror. Herself of course, but younger, and extremely over weight.
> 
> She immediately realizes that she is in a dream and is completely disgusted with what she sees in the mirror. Only later, does she find out that she is in the Naruto World. Since it's a dream, she can dream big. So she does. Losing nearly 200 lbs isn't easy. It takes time and it took her 4 years. Not two days of doing nothing. 4 years of running, sit ups, push ups, and anything she got the boys in the orphanage to teach her, just to shed the weight.
> 
> She lucks out on a foolish ninja and ends up becoming a Konoha resident. And she's given a year to train, with the Hokage's people coming around everyone once and a while to correct her form and to check her knowledge intake. Hayate even begins teaching her how to use a sword. She has no family and no friends. With nothing else to do, she trains. Hard. And she attempts to use a jutsu above her knowledge level and nearly kills herself over it, because she didn't have the proper training in it.
> 
> Since she's going to be a ninja, she's going to do what the fuck she wants and screw the world if they don't like it. Reverse-harem. But she needs to make things go the way she wants.
> 
> -Some of you are too stupid to know what a mary-sue is.   
> -Mary never had to work for anything. Both parents at home with a happy home life. Hikari(Tamar) disease ridden in real life and in her dream life, she is an orphan and is fat.   
> -Mary is good at everything with a perfect body and a perfect life. She doesn't have to work for what she wants. Hikari(Tamar) suffered in her real life and in the dream life, had to train for 5 years to get anywhere near Academy level and to lose weight.   
> -Mary makes friends easily and does everything right always on the first try. Hikari(Tamar) lost all her friend in her real life, and in her dream life, she had to be blunt to get Sasuke and Naruto to handle her. Sasuke took longer to sway.   
> -Mary is liked by everyone and never worries or struggles. Hikari(Tamar) in her real life is in pain every day and her so called friends and family are betting for the day she croaks. Whereas in her dream life, she is deliberately changing things, making the future different. So when something that didn't happen in canon, happens to her team, she struggles to handle it without losing her composure.   
> -Hikari also learns that in this dream, she is a successful experiment of Orochimaru. When she is backed into a corner where the Mokuton will be used, she'll have Orochimaru, Danzo, the Akatsuki, and possibly Madara, after her ass. That isn't good news.  
> -Currently, she had low Jonin chakra. Good for her. That doesn't mean she has Jonin experience. She is shaping Naruto and Sasuke up and so she uses her information of upcoming events and other such anime and manga in her life as a ninja. She can do it, since it isn't real. She is being trained by Yamato and she gets hurt in her training. Mary is so good, she doesn't need to train for anything and never gets hurt. Unless you people don't consider a snapped arm(twice in future chapters) a bad injury.  
> -This isn't some shitty plot, because I already know what will happen at the end. I have it all planned out people. It isn't something I just pulled out of my ass.  
> -And don't bitch about the harem. A million fics have Naruto getting a harem of hot chicks and dammit I will give my character her hot men/women.


	9. Bloody C-Ranks!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death and spilling of blood.

** **

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. THE LINK IS ON MY PROFILE. I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

Hikari fidgeted and refused to look anywhere but at Kakashi. She had just told him about her, 'Kekkei Genkai' and was waiting for some sort of response.

"So then, you know everything about everyone?" the silver man finally asked.

"Well… not  _everything_. Just information like full name, birthday, age, Ninja Registration Number, blood type, elemental affinity, what they are proficient at, any skills they have. LIkes and dislikes. And I sort of  _see_ , major events in their lives that have changed them, for better or worse."

"How do I know if I can believe you?"

Hikari fixed the man with a look and promptly quoted, "Hatake Kakashi, also known as Sharingan no Kakashi. You received it more than ten years ago during the last war. Your one teammate was an Uchiha who forgot to give you a gift for reaching Jonin at such a young age. The Uchiha was crushed under a boulder and decided to give the eye that wasn't crushed to you in return. Your teammate Rin, transplanted it since she was a medic.

You are known as the Man Who Copied Over a Thousand Jutsu. You graduated from the Academy at age five. Became Chunin at age six. Became a Jonin five years later and soon after, joined Anbu. You then became an Anbu Captain and Honsho not too long after that. You were Uchiha Itachi's captain when Itachi started. You have the Mangekyo Sharingan, but didn't know it until now. You received it when you had to kill Rin.

You love Icha Icha, the porn series. You hate being photographed with your mask off. You were the prodigy student of the Yondaime Hokage. You love salt-broiled saury and miso soup with eggplant and hate fried and sweet food. You've been on  _42 S-rank missions_. Solo. Very impressive I might add.

You're twenty-six years old, born on September 15th, Ninja Registration Number: 009720. Your Chakra Nature is Lighting, but you can use every element but Wind. You are extremely skilled and are even being considered for the position of Godaime, even though you don't want to be Hokage. You feel that you aren't worthy of such a position.

You're blunt and sometimes apathetic. Always three hours late to everything. Reason being, you visit the Memorial Stone in Training Ground 3 every morning and pay respects to the Yondaime, Uchiha Obito and Rin.

Your excuses for being late mimic Obito's when he was alive, but are untrue for you personally.

Expert in Tracking, Trap-making, Emergency Medical Care, Survival, Evasion, Stealth, Subterfuge, Assassination, Advanced Sensory Perception, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Bukijutsu, Dojutsu and Chakra Manipulation. Intelligence high enough to put a Nara to shame. You have above average skill in Fuinjutsu but not a mastery. You're a threat in more ways than one."

If Kakashi wasn't wearing a mask, she could have sworn that he was gaping at her.

"And uh... did you pass this information on to the others?"

WIthout hesitation, she nodded. "Yes. The ten minutes you had to wait on the roof were used for that purpose."

"And you do this to everyone?"

She shook her head, "It isn't willing. I just look upon someone and it all comes to me. So far it has worked on everyone, but I'm not going to go around assuming that it'll always happen. There may come a day that it won't."

She cleared her throat then, "I'm the one who told Sasuke about his Sharingan. I then told him how to activate it, to prove myself. I then told Naruto about the Kyuubi. Also, I know who his father is, sensei."

Kakashi's only visible eye went wide, "Y-you do? And you haven't told him?"

Hikari shrugged, "The file on his mother was still in the Record Room of the Shinobi Library. Naruto's was gone but hers was still here, so telling him about her wasn't bad. I do not think I should be the one to tell him who his father was, though. Either you or Hokage-sama can do that."

Kakashi looked down for several moment, before making eye contact, "That is what you did to Ugatsu then. And it would also explain how you knew it wasn't Ao. It would also explain why you didn't tell the Mizukage about your gift. Something like that would be coveted and you could be in danger if people found out.

So you have this and the Mokuton to hide," he sighed. "Great."

She raised a hand, "Until I'm strong enough to protect myself, which means Jonin or Anbu level, thank you very much."

Kakashi looked out over the water and said, "I guess this skill could be considered a blessing in later missions. Maybe we shouldn't tell Hokage-sama just yet."

The Genin sighed in relief because that was what she had been worried about, "Thanks, sensei."

* * *

"I am impressed that you managed to do so well. And Hikari-chan, your intuition was very handy I must admit."

Team 7 bowed to the Hokage as he smoked his pipe. The debriefing was a lot longer because of the mission being C-rank. Another thing Kishimoto never really touched upon in the manga. The fact that  _all_ members of the team have to write a report and hand it in.

"Congratulations Team 7, on a successful mission. You have the next two days off. Don't forget to get your pay."

Once the Genin got their money, they waved goodbye to Kakashi and went home. Well, they were on their way home, when Naruto asked if they could go and eat ramen.

With a sigh, Hikari nodded and Sasuke hnned.

"YES!"

Who they met when they entered the ramen shop, made Hikari grin.

"Neji-hime!"

TenTen, who was sitting beside the Hyuga, snorted into her tea. Neji turned and gave her an unimpressed look.

"Hello, Hikari-san."

She waved a hand, "You might as well call me, Hikari-chan, especially after that kiss."

Neji's face turned pink as he flushed. Everyone else in the ramen stand looked at her in varying mixtures of shock and horror. "What?!" they all yelled simultaneously.

Neji promptly looked away. leaving her to do the explaining, sort of.

"He just appeared one day and planted one on me in the dango shop. I had helped with a certain familial matter and he wanted to display his gratitude for the entire shop to witness."

Sasuke was glaring at the Hyuga, darkly. Naruto wasn't better off. TenTen looked put out and Lee was gaping widely at his teammate. Neji's pale eyes were glaring at her and she shrugged in response. He should be glad she didn't go into detail on how he tasted like Manju with extra anko inside. **(A/N: Manju-** **steamed cakes of** _ **an**_ **surrounded by a flour mixture, available in many shapes such as peaches, rabbits and mushrooms. Anko- sweet red bean paste.)**

Sasuke pulled her aside. "You let  _him_  kiss you?" Sasuke asked, apparently not wanting to believe her.

"Yes. Besides, he's one of my chosen, so I'll have to get used to it at some later point in time. Might as well start now, you know?"

Sasuke's dark eyes widened. "You want him?!" he whispered in horror.

She nodded, "Yes. Why?"

The Uchiha sputtered, "Y-you can't have him, he's a Hyuga!"

"Well there aren't any Uchiha available, is there?" she countered, wondering what his problem was.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

She drew a blank. " _You_? I had never even entertained the thought of having you in my harem."

Truly, she hadn't. In fact, She was thinking along the lines of Neji, Gaara, and a couple others, but not Sasuke. She gave him a once over and nodded to herself. He would be hot when he got older and he had a different personality than canon Sasuke had, so it'd be different. He'd be sexy, but without the horrendous attitude.

Now that she thought about it, she could totally see the Uchiha in her harem. Him or Itachi at least.

"I'll you up to consideration," she said finally, before turning to face the bar. "I still think you and Naruto will end up together though," she added in a teasing tone. "You'd do so well together."

As Sasuke sputtered, she turned her attention to the Hyuga and asked "So how has life been treating you, Neji-hime?"

"It has been alright. Yourself. I haven't seen you around."

She shrugged, "Missions. Our sensei then put us on a week long training excursion that could have killed us if we weren't so skilled. And then another mission."

TenTen leaned over Neji slightly and asked, "What kind of training? Like a camping trip in the training grounds? That doesn't sound deadly."

Hikari smirked, "He knocked us unconscious and we woke up in the Shi no Mori, where a nearby scroll told us we had to 'survive' for a week while looking for something and if we didn't find it, we'd stay another week until we did."

Team Gai gasped at the mention of Shi no Mori.

"Is your sensei crazy?! You're fresh Genin!" TenTen hissed.

Hikari shrugged, "We're better than you think. After he assessed us, he determined Chunin training was what we needed. Chunin can survive in the Shi no Mori for a week. Even all those ambushes and attempted kidnappings didn't really faze us. It was the finding the item part that was annoying."

"Ambushes?!" TenTen repeated.

"Kidnappings?!" Lee added. Both seemed terrified.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei sent in a bunch of Chunin to mess with us. But we kicked their ases! -ttebayo!"

"Hn," Sasuke concurred.

"Wait, 'Kakashi'?" TenTen repeated.

Neji sighed, "Your sensei it the 'eternal rival' of our sensei."

"Really?" Naruto mumbled, while consuming his ramen.

Hikari nodded "Yes. Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei have been 'rivals' since their school years. However, Kakashi-sensei doesn't view Gai-sensei as a rival, just as a cherished friend, though he wouldn't admit it to the other Jonin for fear of sunsets and tears."

Neji and TenTen shuddered instantly, both looking ill.

"YOSH! Gai-sensei and his eternal rival are the epitome of youthfulness! Neji-kun, we should train to be like just like them!"

Hikari snorted, imagining Neji dressed in a green leotard with a bowl cut hairstyle. She snort evolved into full blown laughter and she clutched her stomach, trying to soothe the pain in her abdomen.

The Hyuga was looking at her oddly and she leaned into him to whisper, "Promise me you'll never wear a green leotard or get a bowl cut?"

The disgusted look he sent her way made her laugh even harder.

After a few minutes of calming down a eating, TenTen asked, "How are missions for you guys? I know I hated babysitting."

Hikari, Naruto and Sasuke all shared a look and shrugged.

"We just got back from Mizu no Kuni," Naruto stated, then took a bite of food.

Hikari nodded, "Yeah, Kirigakure was a little...  _misty_."

Sasuke sent her a smirk for that.

"What were you doing in  _Kirigakure_?!" Neji asked, surprising the dark haired female.

"C-rank mission. We were attacked by bandits, someone kidnapped the person we had to meet and we rescued him, the whole works. Though it was a lot better than our last C-rank, that was too easy."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah he was weak. I mean, he couldn't even take on some Genin. -ttebayo!"

"Hn."

"C-ranks?! You've only been a team for like two weeks."

"Two and  _a half_  weeks," Sasuke corrected.

"Yeah, we're just that good. -ttebayo!"

"I can't wait to sleep on my bed!" Hikari sighed, pushing away her empty bowl.

"Me too! -ttebayo!"

"Hn."

Team 7 said their goodbyes to Team Gai and went home to get some much needed comfortable rest.

* * *

"If you spin your body this way and keep you arms pointed, we can slip past your body without fear of collision."

Sasuke looked at the diagram that Hikari had drawn. After a moment, he gave her a straight look and said, "You suck at drawing."

Her cheeks puffed out and she wrinkled her nose in his direction, "Fine! I'll just show you what mean!"

She grabbed Naruto's hand and proceeded to explain what he had to do.

He created some Kage Bunshin, placing one a few feet away and leaving the other to her left, while the real Naruto stood at her right.

"Since I resemble Sasuke the most, I'll play his part."

Hikari tore off toward the Kage Bunshin, jumping as if she was about to use a flying kick. Istead, mid-air, she twisted her body around, until it began to spin like a top. The hit she landed on the Kage Bunshin, was a continued spin of the feet had almost seemed to drill the poor thing into the ground. The two Naruto on either side of her, then launched their own attacks, one clobbering the Bunshin over the head with a back elbow while the other ax kicked him further into the ground. He exploded with a poof of smoke.

Hikari flipped back as the Bunshin dispelled and gave Sasuke a look. " _That_  is what I meant."

He scoffed, "It looked better in person than it did on paper."

"Shove it, duck-ass!"

Naruto started laughing and pointed at Sasuke, "It's so true! -ttebayo!"

The Uchiha glared at them and Hikari stuck her tongue out.

"It's okay. I'll do the move with Naruto. He liked it at least."

"I never said I didn't like it! I just couldn't understand your drawing!" the dark teen hissed.

"Fuck you, Uchiha! Fuck you!"

"Ew!" Naruto whined, stepping away from both of them. "Why would you want to do that with  _teme_ of all people?!"

The Uchiha in question, turned a bright shade of pink and abruptly turned away. He cleared his throat, "Let's just continue sparring and coming up with maneuvers."

Naruto snorted and mumbled, "' _Maneuvers'_."

"Naruto, stop being a pig and get into position!"

The redhead snorted once more, "' _Position'_!"

His teammates sighed at his immaturity.

* * *

"Oh  _hell no_! -ttebayo!"

Hikari hissed as she dodged the huge ass ball of fire rolling in her direction.

It was supposed to be a simple C-rank mission. Nothing was supposed to happen. But then their little envoy mission to Takigakure, turned into a B-rank when Iwagakure shinobi attacked and tried to take Naruto as a hostage. Hikari and Sasuke were able to get their friend away from them while Kakashi took on the leader, leaving the other three to his Genin.

One of the bastards was a Katon manipulator and it just got worse from there.

In order to level the playing field, Hikari used Suiton: Bakusui Shoha **(A/N: Water Release: Exploding Water Shock Wave.)**  to give herself some assistance with her enemy. Luckily, Sasuke and Naruto knew how to fight when she did this, because they trained together so often.

An enormous stream of water poured from her mouth, giving her the advantage she needed as the surrounding area was filled with several feet of water. She followed the move up with the Kirigakure no Jutsu **(A/N: Hidden Mist Jutsu.)**.

A thick mist rolled in and Hikari used that opportunity to slip away.

"You think that'll work you brat?!"

She rolled her eye at how ridiculous he sounded.

"We're Jonin of Iwagakure, you can't beat us!"

Somewhere in the mist, Naruto's voice rang out, loud and clear. "I don't give a damn if you're Jonin, Kage, or whatever the hell! I'm still going to kick your ass, or my name isn't Uzumaki Naruto! -ttebayo!"

Hikari snickered at his usual introduction. Always the same with Naruto.

Hikari then zoned in on her opponent's chakra signature and went through the hand signs for the Mizu Tatsumaki **(A/N: Tornado of Water)**  as she flashed forward, releasing the seals to give her more space. The funnel came together, using the water surrounding the area. Just as she reached the Iwa shinobi, the force of the rapidly spinning funnel of water, connected with his body and knocked him backwards. Served the bastard right.

Hikari's jutsu dissipated and she didn't anticipate an attack so suddenly after it went down. Her left arm was kicked with so much force, she could feel it snap on contact. And then her body was soaring through the mist and she only stopped when her body hit a tree hard enough to get lodged halfway inside it.

She bit her lip hard, drawing blood as she attempted to quell the scream just wanting to rip free. Literally feeling your bone just snap, was indescribable. That kind of pain, was just too much. Her Humerus was fucked up now. Dammit!

Something latched onto her hair and jerked her out of her cubby in the tree, throwing her to the ground. Her arm screamed in protest as she was jostled around harshly. The bastard would pay for it.

"The little girl can't handle it?"

Who the fuck was he calling a little girl?

Another voice joined in on the taunting. "I knew the little bitch couldn't handle it!"

Her hair was yanked up and a cold metal touched her throat. She looked around blearily, trying to spot her opponent and the one who surprised her.

She spotted the one guy, grinning at her only from a few feet away. That meant the other was behind her, raising the kunai in order to behead her.

She focused on the grinning one, focused her chakra on his position and then, just as the blade came down, she used Kawarimi **(A/N: Substitution.)**.

She heard the sound of kunai cutting against flesh and the noise of blood splattering on the ground. It was disturbing. Unnerving. All of her kills had been silent ones and she hadn't really done anything too memorable. But that sound would stay with her forever. She'd recognize it anywhere. The thought was creepier than she originally perceived. She shuddered in disgust.

She looked up, just as the Iwa shinobi screamed in horror, realizing that he had just beheaded his own comrade. She noticed that the mist was nearly gone now and that Sasuke was rushing in her direction from about one hundred meters. He wouldn't be fast enough. She needed to act.

Despite the pain in her arm, thank goodness it was only one arm, she flipped onto her feet, swaying slightly as pain shot up her arm and down her spine. It was a lot more than a pinch.

She faced the man who was staring at the blood on the ground and the head beside the red coloring and used it as the chance to punish him for her arm and for not paying attention. With her advanced speed, she flashed before him and slammed her chakra filled hand into his neck, making it snap back and slam into the tree she had left an indent in. He collapsed to the ground in a heap and she showed no mercy, taking the kunai he had dropped while taking in the horror of his fellow ninja's death and brought it down swiftly, managing to separate most of his head from his shoulders. Only a little remained connected and she was vaguely reminded of Nearly Headless Nick from Harry Potter. Creepy. Gross. Ugh!

His blood pooled on the ground, soaking her sandals and spraying her leggings.

She sank to her knees and breathed deeply, replacing her seals instinctually as the full pain in her arm made itself known.

Sasuke was beside her seconds later. "Where are you injured?" he asked, looking her over.

She grimaced and looked down at her limp arm, which was turned at a disturbing angle. It hurt. It was sharp and biting and she feared that if she used her voice, she'd be letting know just how much pain she was in.

"You killed two Jonin on your own…" Sasuke murmured in what sounded like awe. She looked up to see him looked at her, Sharingan eyes wide. What she really noticed though, was that he had another Tomoe. It had evolved.

"Your Sharingan…." she stared, annoyed with how her voice quivered. "It's leveled up."

Sasuke's eyes went even wider and he whipped out a kunai to look at his reflection. "Well, damn," he whispered. He then shook himself off and replaced the weapon. "You should stay here for now."

She scoffed and began to stand. "Remember Naruto? He was also facing a Jonin. We need to make sure he's okay."

Sasuke frowned, but helped her stand. Her legs felt like lead.

The Uchiha sealed the heads of the enemy ninja in a scroll and proceeded to burn the bodies. He then moved to help Hikari.

They walked for a few meters, aiming for the sounds of battle that was coming through the trees. What the came to though, was not what they had expected.

Naruto had his enemy dangling by his feet, naked, and was using him as target practice. There were several senbon lodged in the man's body and Naruto was throwing random kunai. After watching for a moment, they saw the he was trying to land the opening at the end of the kunai. A really twisted version of Ring Toss.

Hikari looked on in wonder and briefly forgot her pain as she let out a small chuckle. The man's nudity didn't even affect her in the least.

Naruto looked over to them and froze when he saw her holding her arm.

"What happened?" he asked, worry lacing his tone.

"I got careless."

Sasuke scoffed, "My opponent vanished and attacked her just as she finished the one guy. They ganged up on her, but she managed to kill  _both_  on her own, though her arm is broken."

Naruto's blue eyes grew dark suddenly and he looked back to his captive.

"Your friends hurt Hikari. Since they aren't around anymore, you'll have to do for my revenge," he said seriously.

The next several minutes, Hikari and Sasuke were privileged to witness Naruto's devious and twisted mind a work as he thoroughly tortured the man in his trap. More than once, both Genin shuddered in fear, wondering where the former blonde had learned such techniques. It was best that they never find out. Another interesting fact Kishimoto left out. Why was Naruto so good at getting away and making traps?

Kakashi finally decided to appear nearly half an hour later and he froze in place when he saw the mangled body Naruto was messing with. "Uh... hey team. You defeated your opponents?"

The Uchiha of the group gave a snort, "Not really. Mine left mid battle in order to gang up on Hikari. Though the bastard broke her arm, she managed to kill him and her own opponent on her own."

Naruto and Hikari looked at Sasuke in shock.

"Teme, you cursed! -ttebayo!"

"Hn."

Kakashi ignored the marvel of Sasuke's new language in order to check Hikari's arm.

"He snapped the Humerus completely," she told him.

"We need to get back to the village."

"Wait! What were they here for anyway?" Naruto asked, motioning a thumb toward his play toy.

"They wanted the last free Sharingan. Apparently, they had planned to attack Taki but when they saw me, they changed their plans and when they found out Sasuke was an Uchiha, they felt that this was more important than their mission."

Hikari huffed a tired laugh, "Well, their decision cost them their lives."

Sasuke and Naruto nodded, agreeing with her.

"At least the mission was already over," Sasuke commented.

"I guess," Hikari shrugged her good shoulder, hissing when her body still didn't like said movement.

Kakashi scooped the female of the team up and turned to the boys, "Make sure you get his head and burn the body. Sasuke-kun, do you have the other heads?"

The Uchiha nodded and pulled out the scroll he had used earlier.

Naruto collected his weapons from the area and situated them in his weapons pouch as Sasuke went through the motions of beheading the lump of flesh, dangling from the tree above him.

Hikari looked up at the scarecrow like man and said, "You intend to carry me the whole way?"

"Yes. We'll make better time if I do. It'll only take about a day and a half to get back to the village."

Hikari nodded and raised her fingers to her neck. One tap, and she fell into the darkness.

* * *

Hikari awoke to a really comforting warmth. She blinked, trying to clear her fuzzy vision. If one thing about waking up pissed her off, it was the fact that she couldn't see clearly instantly.

She was in a hotel room, from what the ceiling told her. Why was she in a hotel?

"Hikari! Are you okay now?!"

Her attention was drawn to the redhead, who was bouncing beside her right arm.

"Naruto, I feel fine," she said in a groggy tone.

"I should hope so."

Hikari's eyes went wide at that voice. It wasn't? Was it?

She turned to look at the left side of her bed to see none other than Senju Tsunade staring down at her, a smirk on her face.

"Kakashi decided to stop in a hotel for the night, because he didn't want to put you on the ground with that arm of yours being how it was. He was trying to purchase pain reliever for you to hold you over until you reached Konoha and luckily, he ran into me. After some small talk, he told me why he was there and how you managed to kill two Iwa Jonin on your own, even though one had snapped your Humerus in half and that the bone was partially sticking out of the back of your arm."

The powerful woman sat in the chair beside the bed and her smirk widened. "I must say I was impressed, so I decided to help you out."

Hikari stared for another moment as she processed everything the Sannin had said. Kakashi actually stopped in a town and at a  _hotel_? Wow. And Tsunade of all people offered to help her? Wow times two.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

The woman's eyes went wide. "Someone your age actually  _knows_ who I am?"

Hikari nodded, "You're sort of the kunoichi other  _real_ kunoichi idolize. Some of us would like be well known in our own right and by our own skills and not because we have amazing teammates with awesome names and powers."

Tsunade was quiet for a moment, before nodding, "You're doing pretty well on your own, I'll admit."

Hikari grinned in response and then she got an idea.

"Hey Naruto, could you leave for a moment? I have to talk to Tsunade-sama about  _female things_."

Naruto's face scrunched up, "Ew! I'm gone!"

He was gone, in a flash of red.

Hikari looked at the blonde woman and inhaled slowly, preparing herself,. "Tsunade-sama, that was my friend Uzumaki Naruto."

Tsunade's amber colored eyes lightened slightly and Hikari knew that the older kunoichi knew who Naruto was. That was never indicated by Kishimoto. Ugh.

"He wants to be Hokage, to make his mother Kushina, proud."

Tsunade's laid back attitude was gone immediately and she sat up. "He knows?"

"He knows about  _Kushina_. I haven't told him who his father was. He also knows that he's a Jinchuuriki."

The blonde frowned and looked over to the door, "So he's the Yondaime's Legacy? He looks more like Kushina than Minato."

Hikari snorted, "He was actually a Nidaime Kiroi Senko, if you know what I mean. But Kushina's file was never removed from the Record Hall, so when I showed him who she was, he decided to dye his hair to model after her. He wants to be like her. Imagine if he knew that the person he idolizes most though, is his father."

Tsunade was silent for a moment, "He wants to be Hokage? Why?"

Hikari shrugged, "He wants to be like Sandaime-sama and Yondaime-sama, he wants the village to respect him and to treat him like he deserves to exist, and he wants to uphold the Will of Fire. I hope he'll gain a more important reason in the future, but that's afar off."

"Will of Fire, huh? What would a kid like him know about it?"

Hikari sat up in her bed and leaned against the headboard. Her head spun a little, but she wouldn't let it impede her.

"One of our missions to Mizu no Kuni went awry and we ended up in Kirigakure by the time it was over. Mizukage-sama wanted to know why we went out of our way to rescue one of her shinobi and I waxed philosophically on the Will of Fire and how Konoha shinobi don't abandon their comrades and allies and such. Naruto was inspired by what the Will of Fire meant and decided that he would follow it, creating his own Nindo in the process."

Tsunade quirked a brow, "And what is his Nindo?"

"To never go back on his word, -ttebayo!" Hikari grinned in amusement at the memory.

Hikari knew from the look on Tsunade's face that she recognized the verbal tick. Kushina had it too, though she always said,  _-ttebane_ , instead.

"Naruto grew up being hated and alienated by the village. His education was compromised for such a long time. And then I came along. A new student from an orphanage outside the village, who managed to kill a nuke Jonin without having any formal training.

Sandaime-sama gave me a year to get caught up and when I entered the Academy, I took Naruto under my wing. Eventually, he came to live with me, because the damn villagers were stealing from him and lying to him for so long. And even after he found all of that out, he didn't hate them. He knows they don't understand shinobi matters, so it's obvious they fear what they don't understand."

Hikari looked out the window, noting how dark it was. She wondered how long she'd been there.

"He had one school year to completely catch up. He couldn't even write, Tsunade-sama. And yet I was able to get him to where he is now, which according to Kakashi-sensei, is Chunin level. Everyone always told him he was a failure and yet he managed to pass. And though people are under the impression that he is dead last, he was faking it. He wanted to be on a team with Sasuke and I and in order to be with the Top Kunoichi and Rookie of the Year, he had to nearly fail in everything to be on our team. But he still made it."

She shook her head. "He doesn't give up and tries his hardest. I know for a fact that he's going to be Hokage one day. A day doesn't go by where he doesn't mention becoming Hokage. He wants to make Sandaime-sama proud. He wants to make his precious people proud. He'll do whatever it takes, to become Hokage. To him, it's isn't a  _fool's dream_."

The amber eyed Sannin blanched and then glared, "You know something you shouldn't know."

Hikari shrugged, "Kekkei Genkai allows me to know  _nearly_  everything about anyone just by looking at them. So far, I have not met a person who it hasn't worked on. And it's not deliberate. It just happens when I look upon someone new.

Anyway, I know how you feel about the Hokage position. But I don't want you to take your anger over the past and what happened to your family, out on the Hokage, whoever it may be."

Tsunade did not look pleased. Hikari would go so far as to say that the woman was fuming.

"Why should my opinion matter?" she finally asked tersely.

"Well…" Hikari paused, before summoning up her courage. "I wanted to know if you'd come back to the village with us. Maybe return to the hospital and take on a person I have in mind as apprentice."

At that, Tsunade snorted without an ounce of humor in her tone. "Why should I go back there?"

Hikari shrugged, "Spend your days doing something productive instead of wasting your money on something you know you won't win, maybe?"

"You're a gutsy little prick, I'll give you that." Tsunade huffed, crossing her arms over her bountiful bosom.

"Well, since I know you don't want to return to the village, I have a bet to make with you."

Though the woman knew she was a terrible gambler and that Hikari had pretty much just stated so, she turned to the Genin expectantly.

"Go on."

"I bet Kakashi-sensei and I can teach Naruto the Rasengan in a week," Tsunade's eyes widened. "If we succeed, you come back to the village, take up your place in the hospital once more and take on that apprentice I was talking about. She needs a strong female presence to beat the fan-girl out of her. She has great chakra control and her intelligence level is through the roof, but she needs the proper shishou to make her into what she can be."

Tsunade's eyes sparkled as the challenge was put forth, "I highly doubt he'll win. But if he does, I'll even throw in my necklace." Her eyes became steely, "If he fails though, you both have to give up on being shinobi."

Hikari nearly sighed. Again with that shit? Fine then.

"Deal."

They shook hands and both smirked at the other, completely confident that they would win.

Hikari got off the bed and stretched. "I'm taking a shower and then I'm going to get Naruto."

* * *

"Naruto, old buddy old pal, come with me!"

Hikari proceeded to drag the redhead away from Sasuke as she went Kakashi hunting.

"Where are we going?!"

"To find Kakashi!"

"There he is! -ttebayo!"

"Thanks!"

She dragged him all the way over to the mask wearing Jonin who looked up when they neared.

"It's good to see you're doing well, Hikari-chan."

"Yeah, great to see you too. I need your help to teach Naruto a new jutsu."

"What?" the Jonin asked, lowering his porn.

"I made a bet with Tsunade-sama to try and get her to come back to the village. If Naruto learns that Rasengan in a week, she'll come back to the hospital, take on an apprentice I have in mind and give Naruto her necklace."

The redhead sneered, "Why would I want a necklace?"

Hikari sighed, "Naruto, it belonged to the Shodaime Hokage. He was renowned as being able to control the Biju. If you have that necklace, which hold some of his power within it, I can help subdue you easier with my Mokuton."

Kakashi obviously saw where she was going and he must have taken everything else she had said into consideration. Naruto still looked lost, but shrugged,

"What happens if I don't get this new jutsu?"

"I won't tell you, because I know you'll get it before the week is up."

Kakashi put Icha Icha away, "And how is he going to do this? It took me a month at least."

Hikari's grin turned devilish and a gleam entered her eye. "But did you have the ability to create a thousand of yourself without breaking a sweat?"

One lone eye widened and Kakashi nodded. "I see where you're going."

"And in return for teaching Naruto this jutsu, you can teach Sasuke your Raikiri, or Chidori, which ever works."

Sasuke, who had just walked up, heard something about Kakashi teaching him a new jutsu and immediately looked to the man in question. "Hn."

Hikari smirked, "Let's get going now!"

* * *

The dark haired female Genin smirked triumphantly at the astounded look on the blonde Sannin's face. She had won the bet and Tsunade had lost.

Slowly, the blonde removed her prized necklace and placed it around Naruto's shoulders, before patting the redhead on the back. "Your mother would be proud, brat."

Hikari felt accomplished. She got Tsunade to come back to the village without a bunch of arguing and fighting. It was a lot better than in canon because the title of Hokage wasn't being dangled in front of her face. But still…

Naruto looked down at the green crystal and then back up to the woman, "So what was I supposed to lose if I didn't win?"

Hikari froze and began inching away. Shit!

Tsunade looked down at him, confused. "She didn't tell you? You were to give up on being a ninja if you lost."

Naruto turned to Hikari, who was already in the other side of the room, making it for the door.

"Hikari, you never told me that! -ttebayo!"

"You didn't need to know!" she yelled back as she ran.

"Get back here!"

* * *

**A/N: Another one done! ***YES, HIKARI WANTS TSUNADE TO TRAIN SAKURA. SHE COULD STILL HAVE HER USES YOU KNOW.**

**How was it? Let me know.**

**Check out my other fics.**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***YES, HIKARI WANTS TSUNADE TO TRAIN SAKURA. SHE COULD STILL HAVE HER USES YOU KNOW.
> 
> How was it? Let me know.
> 
> Check out my other fics.
> 
> Check me out on Tumblr.


	10. Bingo Book Revelations Bring Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwa has it out for Team Seven!
> 
> More training.
> 
> Naruto is a sadist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hikari ups the team's training after their Iwa Bingo Book entries are too detailed for her liking. Naruto experiments with his Wind chakra and destroys training ground three. Tsunade is back! Sakura grows up. Yay!

** **

**A/N: Hello, people!^^^^^^^^^^^COVER!^^^^^^^^^^^^^**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR, I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

 

**Iwagakure Bingo Book Classifications:**

**Pg:**   **150-192**

**Konohagakure no Sato Adversaries:**

**Number 190:**

**Uzumaki Naruto**

**Gender:**   **Male**

 **Rank:**   **Genin**

 **Team:**   **Member of Team 7 with Uchiha Sasuke, Mizumi Hikari and Jonin Sensei, Hatake Kakashi**

 **Description:**   **Bright red hair, falling to his shoulders in an array of spikes. Blue eyes. Three whisker like markings on each cheek. Lightly tanned, wears red and black.**

 **Age:**   **12(** _ **assumed**_ **)**

 **Birthday:**   **October 10th**

 **Jonin Sensei:**   **Hatake Kakashi(** _ **also known as Sharingan no Kakashi**_ **)**

 **Ninja Registration Number:**   **Unknown**

 **Chakra Affinity:**   **Wind**

 **Known Jutsu:**   **Futon: Kamikaze, Futon: Daitoppa, Futon: Renkudan, Futon: Atsugai, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**

**Ninjutsu:**   **High, proficient**

**Taijutsu:**   **High, proficient(** _ **Uses Kage Bunshin in tandem**_ **)**

 **Genjutsu:**   **Unknown**

 **Other Skills:**   **Adept in the art of torture(** _ **Do not let him capture you in a trap, or you are done for**_ **), Trap-making(** _ **High**_ **), Evasion(** _ **High**_ **) and Stealth(** _ **High**_ **)**

 **Other Notes:**   **Successfully killed Henzo Timeo, Jonin of Iwagakure and tortured him for nearly an hour before he finally died.**

 **Threat Level:**   **High Chunin, Low Jonin, approach with high numbers**

 **Bounty:**   **5 Million Ryo in Iwa(** _ **Dead or Alive**_ **)**

**Number 191:**

**Uchiha Sasuke**

**Gender:**   **Male**

 **Rank:**   **Genin**

 **Team:**   **Member of Team 7 with Uzumaki Naruto, Mizumi Hikari and Jonin Sensei, Hatake Kakashi**

 **Description:**   **Black hair that sticks up in the back with two long strips framing his face and has black eyes. Extremely pale skinned and prefers white shorts and a blue shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back. White arm and leg guards.**

 **Sharingan:**   **Second-level**

 **Age:**   **13(** _ **assumed**_ **)**

 **Birthday:**   **July 23rd**

 **Jonin Sensei:**   **Hatake Kakashi(** _ **also known as Sharingan no Kakashi**_ **)**

 **Ninja Registration Number:**   **Unknown**

 **Chakra Affinity:**   **Lightning and Fire**

 **Known Jutsu:**   **Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu, Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu, Katon: Zukokku, Raiton: Gain and Raiton: Jibashi**

 **Ninjutsu:**   **High, proficient**

 **Taijutsu:**   **High, proficient(** _ **Uses Sharingan to predict movements**_ **)**

 **Genjutsu:**   **Unknown**

 **Other Skills:**   **Adept in the art of Evasion(** _ **High**_ **), Stealth, Dojutsu, Bukijutsu(** _ **High**_ **) and Intelligence(** _ **High**_ **)**

 **Other Notes:**   **Joint effort in the killing of Moru Jibou, Jonin of Iwagakure.**

 **Threat Level:**   **High Chunin, Low Jonin, approach with high numbers**

 **Bounty:**   **5 Million Ryo in Iwa(** _ **Dead or Alive**_ **)**

**Number 192:**

**Mizumi Hikari**

**Gender:**   **Female**

 **Rank:**   **Genin**

 **Team:**   **Member of Team 7 with Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and Jonin Sensei, Hatake Kakashi**

 **Description:**   **Black hair that is pulled into a top knot ponytail, reaching to her hips with two long strips framing her face and has black eyes. Extremely pale skinned and prefers black clothing.**

 **Age:**   **12(** _ **assumed**_ **)**

 **Birthday:**   **November 18th**

 **Jonin Sensei:**   **Hatake Kakashi(** _ **also known as Sharingan no Kakashi**_ **)**

 **Ninja Registration Number:**   **Unknown**

 **Chakra Affinity:**   **Water and Earth**

 **Known Jutsu:**   **Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu, Kirigakure no Jutsu, Suiton: Bakusui Shoha, Mizu Tatsumaki, Suiton: Teppodama, Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu and Kawarimi.**

 **Ninjutsu:**   **High, proficient**

 **Taijutsu:**   **High, proficient(** _ **Warning: extremely high speed, easily High Jonin level**_ **)**

 **Genjutsu:**   **Unknown**

 **Other Skills:**   **Adept in the art of Evasion(** _ **High**_ **), Stealth(** _ **High**_ **), Bukijutsu(** _ **High**_ **), Intelligence(** _ **High**_ **) and Assassination**

 **Other Notes:**   **Joint effort in the killing of Moru Jibou, Jonin of Iwagakure and singlehandedly killed Miroyu Hibashi, Jonin of Iwagakure, while having a shattered left arm**

 **Threat Level:**   **High Chunin, Low Jonin, approach with high numbers**

 **Bounty:**   **5 Million Ryo in Iwa(** _ **Dead or Alive**_ **)**

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up from the pages and frowned. Team 7 had yet to return from their mission, which meant that they were alive as far as the book was concerned. He worried though. How did they encounter Iwa shinobi and manage to defeat them?

There was a knock on the door and he sighed, placing the book down. "Enter!" he called.

And in walked the very people who were on his mind, plus two people he wasn't expecting.

Kakashi bowed in respect, "We've returned Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen quirked a brow, "I'm curious as to why you took so long for a simple C-rank, Kakashi." He then looked at his former student and smiled, "It's nice to see you again, Tsunade."

"Hello, sensei."

Hiruzen's eyes looked the group over and he noticed the green necklace that was hanging around Naruto's neck and how conveniently it was missing from Tsunade's neck. Interesting.

Hikari's arm wasn't broken, which probably meant that Tsunade had healed her. No one looked injured and all were well rested.

"Well Hokage-sama, once we left Takigakure, we were ambushed by four Iwagakure shinobi. All Jonin level. Here is the scroll with their heads," Kakashi said, placing a sealing scroll on his desk.

"I killed the leader, Naruto-kun killed one and Hikari-chan killed two. Sasuke-kun's opponent abandoned battle with him in order to attack the only female of the group. He broke her arm, but she was still able to kill him and his comrade."

Hiruzen's eyes went wide as his eyebrows shot up in shock.

"I was going to carry Hikari-chan all the way here, but I couldn't risk the boys after such a trying battle and I didn't believe the wilderness was good for her and her arm. Sir, it had literally breached the skin and was sticking out of her arm, that's how broken it was. I rented a room in a hotel in Tanzaku Gai and met Tsunade-sama. After some talking, she offered to help Hikari-chan."

Hiruzen turned to look at Tsunade, who was nodding. He motioned for her to speak, as he placed his chin on his crossed fingers.

"I helped her out and we talked when she awoke. After a long discussion, we had a bet and I lost. I gave the red headed brat my necklace, I came back to the village, I'm taking over as Head of the Hospital once more and under Hikari's conditions, I am taking on someone she has in mind as an apprentice."

If he old Kage was surprised before, he was astounded now. He turned to Hikari, who seemed to understand that he wanted her to continue.

"Well, I bet that if Kakashi-sensei and I could teach Naruto the Rasengan in a week, she'd have to do everything listed and if he didn't, he and I both give up on being ninja and subsequently meaning Naruto would give up on being Hokage. I won, as you can see."

"How do you about the Rasengan?" Hiruzen asked, wondering how she had heard of it.

She shrugged and said in a straight tone, "It was the Yondaime's signature jutsu and Kakashi-sensei used it to demonstrate chakra manipulation once. I figured it would be a good challenge. Since Naruto got to learn an A-rank Jutsu, I asked Kakashi-sensei to teach Sasuke his Chidori, to make up for it."

"What about you? Don't you get to learn an A-rank jutsu?" he asked, wondering how that evened anything out,

She shrugged, "I figured it evened us out more, because of my Mokuton."

Tsunade and Shizune gasped and Hikari grinned.

"How?" Tsunade whispered looking the girl over.

Hiruzen sighed, "Hikari was one of Orochimaru's experiments, though he doesn't know it. She grew up in an orphanage outside the village and came to us two years ago. She can manipulate Mokuton and has been receiving training from the only other known survivor of Orochimaru's experiments with such. He is one of my Anbu."

Hiruzen fixed Team 7 with his attention once more. "I'll have you know that it was a good thing you didn't use Mokuton on your mission, Hikari."

The entire team looked at him in confusion and he held up the Bingo Book. "Someone watched your battles and you each now have an entry in Iwagakure's Bingo Book. Congratulations for being the first three Konoha Genin in history to make a Bingo Book entry."

On cue, all three jaws dropped and Naruto bounced forward, asking for the book. He took it back and the three Genin bent over it, with Kakashi looking over their heads.

Hikari whistled, "They must have been far and have had great eyesight. I can sense people from a fifty meter distance, no matter how good they are at masking their chakra signature."

"We sound badass! -ttebayo!"

"We don't sound like Genin," Sasuke pointed out.

Hikari nodded in agreement, "More like High Chunin level to me. Maybe Tokubetsu Jonin level to be exact."

The other members of the team hummed in acceptance to her explanation.

"Now, the mission itself was successful though, right?" Hiruzen asked, getting all of their attention once again.

Kakashi nodded, "Yes."

"And with the intervention of four Iwa Jonin, it can no longer be considered C-rank. Not even B-rank. Low A to be exact. Congratulations on defeating such opponent's, Team 7, you've earned yourselves a week worth of rest!"

The Genin all sighed in relief.

"I expect your mission reports by tomorrow though. The Genin are dismissed."

Sasuke and Hikari bowed and Naruto waved, "See you, old man!"

Once they were gone, he turned his attention to Kakashi, "Now, why did Iwa Jonin attack my shinobi?"

* * *

 

Hikari stood outside the green door, trying to sort out her thoughts. She had to get this out in the right way. Hopefully, she wouldn't fuck it up.

She stepped forward and knocked.

Haruno Mebuki opened the door. "Can I help you?"

Hikari smiled, "Is Sakura-san home?"

"Yes, you are?"

"Mizumi Hikari. I went to the Academy with her. I have some information for her."

The woman nodded, "If you'll wait a moment."

Hikari didn't have to wait long before pink hair filled her vision.

"Hello, care to go for a walk with me? We need to talk."

The pinkette stared for a moment, before going back inside and asking her mother if she could join the Genin.

She returned, "Okay. What do you need?" she asked as she closed the door.

"You didn't make it into a Genin team, correct?"

Sakura wilted, "Yeah. I have to go back to the Academy next term. Maybe I can be a Genin next time."

Hikari frowned, "Sakura, just because you haven't made it onto a team, doesn't mean that you aren't a Genin. Until you start the next term at the Academy, you're legally still a Genin. A hitai-ate doesn't make you a ninja you know."

"What does that matter?" the pink haired girl asked, looking confused.

"Sakura, you have from now until the day before the first day at the Academy to get apprenticed to someone who is Tokubetsu Jonin or above. If so, you can stay a Genin."

"B-but…"

"No buts."

Hikari sighed then, wondering how to go about it.

"Look. There are two specific professions you personally can enter into as a ninja. You can become a Medical Ninja or a Genjutsu Master. Both require above average intelligence and precise chakra control, which you have both. But just because you are training for those specific fields, does not mean you abandon other training as well."

The other girl's head tilted to the side, "Huh?"

"Sakura, you have good intelligence. That's all well and good, but you lack in everything else. So you can do basic Academy Ninjutsu, that's it. Your Taijutsu and evasion are terrible. Your aim and accuracy are also terrible. There's more to being a ninja, than just knowing information. Just like there's more to being Hokage than just knowing a lot of jutsu."

"What are trying to say?"

Hikari stopped since they had reached the nearby park and sat down on the bench beside them. Sakura did the same.

"You grew up feeling self conscious about your forehead and didn't have any friends until Ino-san. In the beginning, you wanted to be strong like Ino-san and that was your goal. But somewhere along the line, Sasuke got in the way of your friendship and both of you dropped your dreams and goals in order to fawn over him. Something he doesn't like, mind you."

Sakura frowned as Hikari spoke.

"It got even worse. Your friendship was thrown away, over a guy that doesn't care about either of you. It may sound mean, but it's the truth."

"W-what do you mean Sasuke-kun doesn't care?" Sakura stuttered, looking horrified.

Hikari shrugged, "Sasuke doesn't want a girlfriend. He wants to train right now. That screaming, stalking and fawning over him thing you girls in the Academy did, made him angry. Sasuke is only twelve, so romance isn't even in his mind at the moment. And due to his past, girls don't interest him. I mean, your actions may have turned him gay."

The pinkette gasped in terror at such a thought.

"Yes. And not only did you push him further away, you jeopardized your future career by not bothering to train and instead focused on beauty, which is only skin deep. Then you lost your best and only friend on top of it all. Intelligence won't be enough to save you in a tough spot, Sakura. You've pretty much made it harder for yourself to be a kunoichi, that is, if you still  _want_ to be one. And if you do, don't do it for Sasuke, because he hasn't done anything for you. He doesn't even acknowledge you, for Kami's sake. Do it for yourself. Become strong for yourself. To protect your parents who love you. To protect your village, where you live. Don't let your foolish crush on a boy  _you don't even know_ , decide what you do for life."

Sakura gaped, "But I  _do_ know him!"

Hikari gave the girl a, 'are you serious' look. " _No you don't_. Sasuke never stated his interests for the class. He never talked to you or the other girls before. You've deluded yourself into thinking you know him, but you don't. The people who know him best are Naruto and I. Then comes our sensei.

Team 7 is a team of orphans. We Genin have lived together for the last year. We know everything about each other. We know about Sasuke's rough past. We know about his feelings concerning training and girls. His like, dislikes, dreams for the future and goals and such. His skills. What he's bad at. Everything. We've talked to him and not just assumed about him because he muttered a simple, ' _hn'_ in our direction."

Sakura was busy looking at the ground. She looked depressed.

"The straight up truth is, you're weak."

Pale shoulders hunched in.

"But don't let that define you. Start your training and become someone worthy of respect. You can do it. But you have to realize that beauty isn't something meant for this kind of profession. Becoming a ninja is tough work and not for the faint of heart. If you really want to try, I'll help you out. Don't you want Ino-san back as a friend? Don't you want be able to go on mission with her one day? To help her and have her back when she needs you? To save her when she's down? Be the shoulder she needs to cry on, the one she wants to talk to, the inspiration she needs to keep going? And in return, she'd be the very same for you."

Sakura sighed and wiped a hand across her eyes. "How could I get help? I don't know how to find people and since I don't have a Jonin sensei, I'm probably not allowed in certain places."

"Is this desire to become better because of Sasuke or because you actually want it?"

"I don't want to be weak and I want to have the confidence to be me and to not be afraid of everything. I don't want to worry about my forehead all the time and I don't want to worry about my hair and weight and whether or not Ino is doing better than me. I want to be amazing in my own way, but I'm scared."

"Well I'd call you a fool if you weren't. This isn't a joke, it's real. And even if you never see real battle on a mission, other things can happen. Another war, an invasion of the village, a kidnapping, you never know what could happen. But don't let fear and uncertainty rule you."

They sat in silence for a moment, before Sakura turned to the dark haired girl and said, "I think Medical Ninjutsu would be best. I'd be able to help people that way."

Hikari smiled, but said, "Any job you have as a ninja, will help someone, Sakura. But yes, Medical would be best for you, I agree."

"So, do I go to the hospital and ask around?" the pinkette asked, now fixated on the prospect of having something to do.

The Genin before her, smirked suddenly, causing the pinkette to shiver in fear.

"On my last mission, I met someone and we had a bet. They had to return to the village when they lost. I think they could help you, if you prove yourself."

Hikari neglected to tell the girl that Tsunade was going to train her no matter what. Better for her to actually try her hardest than to just do whatever because she knew she'd get it either way.

Hikari stood, "We're going to the Shinobi Library. Come."

A few moments later, the two had reached said building and Hikari led the way to the medical section.

After rifling through some books, she finally got the one she wanted.

 **Basics of the Shosen no Jutsu**.

"Check this out. Read it carefully. If you can heal a cut I have tomorrow, I'll introduce you to my new friend and put in a good word for you."

" _A-a day_?!"

She shrugged, "You're smart. It's shouldn't be too hard for you. See ya!"

Hikari disappeared in a blur, leaving the pinkette behind.

Hopefully, Sakura would really take it all to heart, because she needed to improve herself and this would be one way of doing it.

* * *

 

"So, do you have it?"

Sakura looked tired. Like, really tired. Hikari handed over a spare soldier pill, because she didn't want the girl to collapse of chakra exhaustion. She could got sick that way.

"Yes," the girl asserted with a confident nod.

She wasn't actually expecting that. Hikari had thought maybe Sakura would need a week at least, before she actually got anywhere, but maybe she was a lot better than Hikari had assumed. Kishimoto never gave a time of how long it took the pinkette to get the basics of Medical Ninjutsu mastered.

Hikari had a kunai in hand and slashed across the top of her left hand. It was a small cut, but long enough to give Sakura a challenge.

The pinkette took a deep breath and began to focus. Hikari's brow twitched when the blue chakra coating the other girl's palm turned green and hovered above her small injury. Shosen always felt warm. Like sitting in the ocean waves during the summer.

Before her eyes, the cut closed up. It took about a minute, but still, it was progress.

Sakura stopped and smiled at her success, her cheeks flushed from the exertion of using Shosen. She was a Genin with low reserves, so it made sense that she wouldn't be perfect by the time she finished.

Hikari wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders and started tugging her along. "Come."

She dragged the girl to the hospital and proceeded to barge into Tsunade's office, which was undergoing an overhaul in order to fit her tastes.

The blonde looked up upon their entrance and sat back in her chair.

"Tsunade-chan, this is Haruno Sakura."

Sakura's mouth dropped instantly, making the connection. She then looked at Hikari who was watching her in amusement.

"Sakura-san here, equaled me in our written exam of the Genin Exam. She's got great chakra control like me as well. Her other ability is her ability to learn fast and she can memorize anything. For example…" Hikari paused as she turned to the pinkette. "What did I say yesterday about your claim to knowing Sasuke?"

Sakura's shoulders went rigid and she stood straighter as she proceeded to quote Hikari, verbatim. "'No you don't. Sasuke never stated his interests for the class. He never talked to you or the other girls before. You've deluded yourself into thinking you know him, but you don't. The people who know him best are Naruto and I. Then comes our sensei.'-"

Hikari slapped a hand over her mouth, halting her. She then gave Tsunade a look as if to say, 'see?'.

Tsunade remained quiet, assessing.

"Another thing you'll find interesting, is that she read the  **Basics of the Shosen no Jutsu**  in one night and  _mastered_ the basics of Shosen."

Hikari then made another cut on her hand and held it out to Sakura expectantly. The girl gulped, eyes nervously looking to Tsunade and then back to Hikari, before she repeated the process she had used not too long before.

It worked again, but Sakura was breathing a lot harder than before.

"We're going to work on your reserves this week. I'll teach you to Tree Climb and Water Walk as ways to expand your chakra."

Tsunade sat forward in her chair, "Haruno Sakura!"

Said girl froze, "Tsunade-sama?"

"Why do you want to become a Medical Ninja?"

Sakura looked down for a moment, before meeting amber eyes head on. "I don't want to be weak anymore. I want to be able to help people. To do something worthwhile. I don't want to be shy anymore and I don't want my friend to have to protect me, because I can't do anything."

Hikari watched the nonverbal battle of wills between the future shishou and apprentice.

"I'll train you….if you answer one more question."

Sakura nodded eagerly.

"Is that your real hair color?"

* * *

 

"You helped  _Haruno_?"

Hikari gave the Uchiha an unimpressed look. "Yes, now will you get over it? I managed to get her to reset her priorities and trust me, Tsunade is not going to be easy on her. Besides, you have to admit Pinky has skill if she could learn the healing technique in one night and succeed on her first try the next morning."

Sasuke scoffed, but didn't say any more. Naruto was too busy stuffing his face with ramen to really care about their topic of discussion.

"I think we should learn more jutsu," Hikari proposed, changing topic quickly. "I mean, we're each in a Bingo Book now and they had a pretty detailed description of our Ninjutsu. The only real secrets we have left are my Kekkei Genkai, Chidori, Rasengan, Jinchuuriki and combination maneuvers we developed."

Both boys stilled and looked up, realization dawning on them.

"Yeah. Whoever watched us, got a lot of info, though I wonder how they got our birthdays."

Sasuke placed his chopsticks across his bowl and asked, "We can't get any higher ranked jutsu from the Shinobi Library, because we aren't a certain rank yet."

"We could ask Kakashi," Hikari suggested. "I might be able to get Tenzo to help."

"Why can't we develop our own jutsu?" Naruto asked suddenly, putting his bowl down.

His teammates turned to stare at him and he shrugged, "Well, it's be cool, you know. What if we somehow did one that used each of our elements?!"

Hikari stared for a little bit longer, before nodding, "That idea has merit. But we'd need to learn the basic concepts of jutsu creation, which means a visit the library."

They sat in silence as they thought about their options.

"What about creating our own poisons?" Sasuke stated after staring at his tea for a few moments.

Hikari grinned evilly, "That would be so great! I could consult with Tsunade on that and get her take on what to read and such!"

Naruto nodded, "So we have a plan. I look up jutsu creation, teme looks up new jutsu and you look up the info on poison making. This way we've all got something important to do! -ttebayo!"

* * *

 

"And what are my kawaii Genin up to?"

None of them looked up as Kakashi appeared near the center stump in Training Ground Three. They were too immersed in their books to acknowledge him fully.

"Jutsu creation," Naruto stated, turning a page.

"List of new jutsu we can learn," Sasuke added as he wrote something down in his notebook.

Hikari raised a finger, "I'm learning how to create poisons."

Though Kakashi was shocked, he didn't really show it.

"And why would you all be do these things?"

Hikari gave him a look that made him feel like an imbecile.

"Sensei, our entries in the Bingo Book barely leave anything about us, secret. We need new things for up our sleeves, otherwise, we could be easily defeated later on."

He nodded in understanding. It made sense for them to want to have more secrets.

"Have you managed to get anywhere?"

"The Table of Saturation Mixing Ratios is a pain in the ass, but I'm getting there," Hikari hissed, glad that she was good at Chemistry when in school.

No one understood what she said, but Kakashi nodded and said, "Good job," anyway.

Sasuke looked at his list, "I have two for each of us. Two Raiton for me. Two Doton for Hikari and one Doton and Futon for dobe."

Naruto grinned up at his sensei, "I have this book and over an hundred Kage Bunshin in the library reading up on the creation of jutsu. Once I'm done, I'll start taking notes."

Kakashi sat on the grass, pulling out his trusty porn while at it. "I won't be of much help with poison, but I have created my own jutsu and I can help you train whatever jutsu you want to learn."

Naruto grinned, "Great! I want us to have a combined attack that uses all our elements, without them falling apart, neutralizing each other, or exploding in our faces."

"That…" Kakashi started, thinking it over. "Is going to be difficult, Naruto."

The redhead waved a hand in dismissal, "Yeah. But everything worthwhile is."

"Good point."

Hikari glanced up at the redhead and thought about what he wanted to do. It sounded like a combination attack, from Pokemon.

Pokemon.

 **POKEMON**!

She had watched every season of Pokemon there ever was and she remember all the attacks! What if she could get them to recreate the attacks? It's wasn't like this dream was real anyway. She could get away with it.

The Genin turned back to the huge ass book sitting on her lap and continued to read, taking note of how certain mixtures of metals created alloys that could be utilized in the amalgamation of a poison.

"Sensei, how did you create the Chidori?" Naruto asked suddenly, looking up from his book.

Kakashi placed his book on his lap. "Technically, it's a derivative of an S-rank assassination jutsu I created, called Raikiri. Properly named so because I was able to cut a bolt of lightning in half and I figured the name was cool enough. Specified chakra control of Raiton is very important, because it's a much more enhanced version of Chidori. By concentrating hard enough, the chakra actually becomes visible, much like the Rasengan, which I had modeled it after. My sensei, the Yondaime Hokage, had told me I could use it after a mission where I had done so and injured my arm in the process. I couldn't keep up with the speed. When I received the Sharingan, I was able to work out the kinks and use it to its full extent. Anyone without a Sharingan, cannot use the Raikiri."

By the time he had finished, all three Genin were looking at him in awe. One: Kakashi had said a lot in one sitting. Two; he didn't not answer with a seriously convoluted response that was too impossible to be true.

Hikari looked at Sasuke, "Probably the most he has ever said to us in one sitting."

"Hn."

The Jonin let out an uncomfortable laugh and picked up where he left off in his book.

Naruto was still staring at the Jonin. "I wondr if I could add my wind chakra to the Rasengan," he suddenly stated, standing.

Hikari froze as she thought about what had happened during his training when he developed the Rasenshuriken. An S-rank jutsu hat only he could use.

Kakashi looked up from his porn, "Well technically, it's an unfinished jutsu. Sensei never had a chance to add an element, but maybe you can do it. Just know, earth and lightning do not work and I would assume fire doesn't either, because the high speed rotation would most likely make the flames too hot or high and you could light yourself on fire or possibly burn off the hair on your face or head. It's dangerous. I suggest using Kage Bunshin first."

Naruto grinned, "Right!"

"Wait!" Hikari said, rushing to her feet. "Do you have a clear grasp on your wind chakra? Can you actually locate it and use it? You've cut the leaf and the waterfall yes, but make sure you know what you're doing before jumping into this."

Naruto waved off her concern, "Trust me, Hikari, I've got this! I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be Hokage some day! Of course I'll get it! -ttebayo!"

She sighed in worry and watched him go and create too many Kage Bunshin to count. He then started ordering them around.

She turned to Kakashi and Sasuke and said, "We should move to a safe location. What he's going to do could destroy meters of the training ground. He won't get it on the first try and until he perfects it, we could be in danger."

Sasuke scoffed, "I highly doubt that the dob-"

**BOOM!**

HIkari jumped and spun around, taking in the huge crater that stopped maybe a foot from where she was standing and all the rocks currently falling to the ground.

She looked back at Sasuke, who scowled because he knew she was right. A glance to her right showed Kakashi was nowhere to be found. Instead, he was lounging in a tree on the other side of the clearing. Coward.

Hikari gathered her things and followed the Jonin's lead, but at a much slower pace, because she wasn't a coward.

**BOOM!**

Except she really didn't want to be caught in the aftermath of Naruto's experiments, so she may have moved a little faster than a power walk demanded.

* * *

 

**A/N: Another one is done.**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Let me know.
> 
> Check out my other fics.
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> Check me out on Tumblr.


	11. Before the Exams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikari has great intestinal fortitude!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zabuza and Haku!
> 
> Hikari has to learn about posions and hates it.
> 
> Gaara joins the fics.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR, THE LINK IS ON MY PROFILE. I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

Team 7 stood before the Hokage, ready for a new mission. The C-ranks were coming in like crazy and the more the team managed to take, the smaller the pile would grow. So far, in the last week they managed eleven C-rank missions alongside their studying and training. Team 7 was rising through the listings and impressing nearly every Chunin that worked in the Mission Assignment Room. Iruka was the most shocked overall since he had directly taught them while they were in the Academy and didn't know of what they were capable of.

"We have another mission here, to Nami no Kuni," the Hokage said as he shifted through the pile and read the scroll he grabbed.

Hikari froze minutely, shocked that it was that time already. She hadn't expected it to be so soon. Or at least, it felt soon. They'd been a team for well over a month, nearly two, so it would make sense in a way. It was time for the fat little man and Zabuza to appear. How could she twist that without Zabuza or Haku having to die in the end? Hm…

"Bring in Tazuna," the Sandaime ordered on of the Chunin, who bowed and left the room.

The Genin turned to look at the door and Hikari grimaced at the picture Tazuna made. He looked like the definition of a sleazy drunk, complete with sake bottle in left hand. His glasses were askew and his hair was mussed.

There was distaste evident on Sasuke's face. He did not like the client at all. Naruto didn't seem to care, but he had originally lived in a district of the village where people like that roamed free, so he was probably used to it. Hikari herself wasn't impressed with the 'master bridge builder'.

"These runts are going to escort me?" the old man slurred. "They looked weak."

Naruto huffed and Sasuke let out a small, 'Hn'. Hikari gave the man a bland look, still not impressed with him.

Kakashi waved a hand as he read his porn, "Don't worry, my team is the most skilled Genin team in the village, with more experience than any of the others. And I'm a Jonin of high caliber, so you won't be in danger."

The Hokage smiled at Team 7 and handed over the scroll. "Good luck to you."

Kakashi nodded, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

He then turned to look at his Genin and said, "Go home and prepare for a week long trip at least. Meet at the East Gate in half an hour."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded and left the room quickly, though Hikari stayed back with Kakashi, following after him as they left.

"Something wrong, Hikari-chan?" the silver Jonin asked, not looking away from his book as they walked.

"Tazuna requested escorts, but neglected to mention that someone has it out for his life. A man named Gato is trying to take over Nami no Kuni and Tazuna building the bridge is getting in the way of his plans, so he's been hiring mercenaries to go after our client. This means either low class ninja or thugs."

Kakashi placed the book down and looked at her. "Should we accept this mission then?"

She sighed, hating how he was leaving it up to her. He'd been doing that a lot more lately.

"Well, we each have taken on Jonin level shinobi and won. I'm sure we can handle thugs just fine."

Kakashi hummed for a moment, "Gato's interference makes our mission a higher rank and Tazuna knows that, doesn't he? Why would he lie?"

"Nami no Kuni is being oppressed by Gato and taxes are through the roof, Their only hope lies in Tazuna and him finishing the bridge, or else they'll die out."

The Jonin nodded, "This will be the fifth C-rank mission we've gone on that will be upgraded to B-rank and if it gets rough, A-rank. Are you sure you all could handle it?"

Hikari inwardly scoffed. If the original canon Team 7 could handle it, even though they had one useless member and barely any training, then they could definitely take it.

"We'll be fine sensei. And I can always learn about enemies along the way."

"Well then, we won't need to mention anything until the mission is over then. Now go and get prepared for the mission."

"See you soon sensei."

* * *

"Demon Brothers of Kirigakure, Gozu and Meizu. Working under Zabuza Momochi as underlings. Attempted assassination on the Yondaime Mizukage that failed. Chunin rank but lacking in power, ordered by Zabuza to assassinate bridge builder Tazuna. Zabuza has been employed by Gato," Hikari rattled off as Naruto tied Gozu and Meizu up to a tree.

Tazuna heard what Hikari said and squeaked in fear. Kakashi rounded on the man and said, "Explain."

Hikari would swear on every Kami out there, that Tazuna whined a small ' _mommy,'_  as Kakashi advanced on him.

But that was neither here nor there.

* * *

Everyone dropped to the ground when they felt the oncoming attack. The Genin flipped to their feet as they prepared for battle. Hikari knew what was coming and steeled herself.

"Even the brats managed to sense me coming, pretty good, for Konoha ninja."

Zabuza had a gravelly voice and an eerie laugh to accompany it. It was creepy enough to raise the hairs on her arms and make a shiver run down her back.

He landed on Kubikiribocho, which had been embedded into a tree trunk, balancing himself perfectly on the hilt of the long zanbato. Good balance.

Kakashi huffed and asked aloud, "Hikari, what do you got on him?"

The Genin took a deep breath and speedily replied, "Zabuza Momochi, nuke Jonin of Kirigakure. Known as Kirigakure no Kijin. Former member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu, current wielder of Kubikiribocho, the Executioner's Blade. When broken, the sword repairs itself with the iron from the blood of its enemies.

Zabuza Momochi, born August 15th, 26 years old, Blood Type A. Ninja Registration Number: 007719 **(A/N: I made that part up. Pretend it's real.)** , water affinity. Was once an Anbu member. Master of the Silent Killing technique, Kenjutsu, Taijutsu, and Stealth. His Kirigakure no Jutsu is perfect and nearly undetectable to even the best of shinobi. Zabuza can manipulate his chakra outside his body to take on a terrifying form that is used to scare people. He's working with a partner who is waiting not too far off, disguised as a Kiri Oinin, called Haku. He is the remaining member of the Yuki Clan and can utilize Hyoton.

Zabuza attempted to murder the Yondaime Mizukage because he didn't agree with the way Yagura ran everything. He's been taking on mercenary missions in order to gain more money to attempt to overthrow Yagura again."

All the while she was talking, the creepy, no eyebrow having fiend was watching her. She ignored him, in favor of looking at Kakashi.

But by the time she finished, she turned to look at the man and said, "You know there's a new Mizukage. No one knows where Yagura is and no one cares. Anyway, she's been trying to reestablish connections in the shinobi world and trying to get rid of, 'the Bloody Mist'. Your plan is all for naught."

No Brows was still staring at her and she would have gladly stared back at him for however long he wanted, but she sensed something and spun around, whipping out a kunai to deflect the incoming senbon. She jumped back, avoiding Haku's speedy kick and released her weights. She charged the Hyoton user.

Thankfully, with her continuous use of weight seals, Hikari's speed was something to watch out for. Fifty pounds a month for the last two years. She was most likely a quarter way to Lee in his speed. Since she wasn't a fanatic like Gai or Lee, she didn't add hundreds of pounds every month. But still, she was pretty good on her own.

For those who say twelve hundred pounds is impossible to carry, Hikari would like to shove her seals in their faces and go 'nah nee nah nee boo boo'.

Haku obviously wasn't expecting her speed and they crashed together in a Taijutsu battle. Hikari focused her chakra and hit Haku's wrists, disabling them instantly. The boy noticed he could no longer move his hands and made to leap away, but Hikari wouldn't have it. She charged once again and slammed her hand into Haku's neck, knocking him unconscious immediately."

As he went down, Hikari pulled his mask off and sighed, "Well damn."

"What's wrong Hikari?" Naruto asked.

"He's prettier than me."

Silence…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Are you sure that it's a boy?" Sasuke asked after a moment.

"Haku's a boy. Just a really fucking pretty one. Lucky bastard," Hikari grumbled, walking away from the unconscious shinobi.

"I think you're pretty Hikari-chan! -ttebayo!"

The female gave Naruto's spikes a ruffle, "Thanks Naruto, but you're still not going to be in my harem. You and Sasuke are meant to be together."

"EW! Not with him! Not ever!" the redhead yelled, pointing to Sasuke who was too busy glaring at Hikari to care.

She snickered and waited for further instruction.

They all stood at a standstill, just waiting for something to happen. Zabuza jumped off his zanbato and continued to stare at her. "Brat, who is the new Mizukage?"

"Terumi Mei."

"Mei?" he sounded surprised.

"You know her?"

Zabuza's chilling laugh filled the foggy clearing. "I can't believe that old hag managed to become Mizukage."

"She would kill you for that," Hikari commented. "She gets enough about her age and not being married from her Anbu members and she has no issue with threatening to eviscerate  _them_."

"Yeah, that sounds like Mei," Zabuza laughed even harder. "She's still an old bag though."

"Your funeral."

"So why should I stop my mission, even if there's a new Mizukage?" Zabuza asked after a few seconds. "Who wouldn't want more money?"

Hikari bristled and glared. "There are many reasons. I just took your apprentice out in mere seconds. My teammates are just as powerful. We have Hatake Kakashi on our team. Gato is a liar of a man. A man who was fighting to free his country from a tyrant shouldn't be so blase over the fact that a man who isn't even a ninja, is suppressing the good people of Nami no Kuni. Because money isn't everything."

No Brows stared her down and though she was a bit creeped out, she refused to look away. It was a matter of pride and she refused to be seen as inferior even to someone as powerful as Zabuza. He was powerful and could even be a good ally if things turned out for their benefit. He was a great swordsman and Hikari would value his opinion of her, even if he remained a 'bad guy'. He was a legend, like Kakashi was.

"I don't know the people of Wave, so why should I care?"

"Why  _shouldn't_ you care?" she countered.

"The fact that that little piece of worthless flesh put his grubby hands on your apprentice and threatened him should be enough to go chop his head off."

"Morbid. What sort of kid are you?"

"The morbid sort."

She was being mouthy to the Demon of the Hidden Mist. She deserved some sort of award. She had metaphorical balls of steel. She was the 'bigger man' than many others who had faced Zabuza head on.

"So basically, you want me to leave you all alone and kill Gato in order to help Wave Country?"

"Yes, that's about it," HIkari nodded.

"I'm the bad guy, kid."

"The bad guy trying to raise money to overthrow the tyrant who ruined your home? That sounds positively  _evil_ to me."

"Don't get mouthy, brat."

"Are we fighting or not?"

Zabuza looked down to Haku's unconscious body and then back up. He surveyed their line of defense and sighed. Considering you could kill Haku in mere seconds and the four of you could gang up on me, it'd be best hat I retreat. Would you allow us to leave?"

"Will you drop the mission and go off Gato?" Hikari countered firmly.

"What's in it for me?"

"You and your apprentice not dying here and now. Your secrets remaining secret and not becoming a part of Konoha. Or we could kill you and take Haku back and have him forced under the CRA and have the Yuki Clan restored in order to add power to our nation."

She could tell that Zabuza's mouth had dropped open behind his medical wrappings.

"You are one sadistic brat. Fine."

Hikari smirked. "You wouldn't mind if our sensei went with you, to verify that you will follow up your claims? We'll protect Haku until you return of course."

The man grumbled and Hikari turned to Kakashi. "Payback for making me check people so damn often. Have fun sensei!" She patted his shoulder before turning to Sasuke and Naruto, who had at some point during the conversation, turned to each other and began to play Mushi-Ken. "Come on you two. We're escorting Tzuna and Haku the rest of the way. Sensei will catch up later."

* * *

The rest of the Wave mission had gone by rather quickly.

Kakashi and Zabuza had rejoined Team Seven and Haku a few days later and the two groups went their separate ways. Tazuna made use of Naruto's Kage Bunshin in that time period to help finish the bridge he was working on. Naruto managed to drill determination into Inari somehow after taking the kid on a long walk. Tsunami - aptly named - was very mothering.

She'd seemed so cold in the manga and Hikari had never been impressed, but meeting the woman personally and seeing how much she worried for her family, was enough to change the kunoichi's mind. There was love there, it was just buried under and sense of duty and a lot of worry.

Team Seven returned to Konoha not too long after the bridge was finished. Naruto managed to get it named after him, simply by taking the kids of the small island out and teaching them how to protect themselves against robbers and pillagers. The children were the future after all. His Kage Bunshin simply took a child aside and sowed them the basics on how to fight and protect one's self and family. Tazuna had been inspired and named the stone structure, 'The Great Naruto Bridge'.

Sasuke had refused to let up on teasing Naruto about his new historical monument. The red head glared, but did not rise to the bait. In turn, Hikari made a blasé comment about their developing romance, which led to all three refusing to look at each other for varying reasons.

When Kakashi handed in the mission scroll, the Hokage smiled at them and took their reports immediately. And even upgraded the rank of the mission to B-rank, which made more money in the end. Also a better look on their records. Genin doing B-ranks was rare. Especially when they returned and weren't injured in the least.

The team was given a three day resting period, to catch up on normal life and personal training.

Kakashi wished them a farewell and told them to take their vitamins. Like he ever actually took any when at their age.

Hikari looked to her two idiots and smiled. "I'm going to go see someone. Do you want to meet up at Ichiraku's later?"

"Are you meeting the Hyuga?" Sasuke asked, suddenly looking more alert than before. Naruto was a lot more awake as well.

"No, I wanted to see how Sakura is faring under Tsunade's tutelage."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. If only he knew the threat level Sakura would pose once she spent a good deal of time in Tsunade's presence. He wouldn't be so inclined to believe that the girl wasn't anything but a weak nuisance. Of course her prior actions in regards to him were what created this opinion in the first place. But she was learning.

"She'll be great one day," Hikari said with conviction. "You just need to wait. And do you really think Tsunade s going to go easy on her?"

The boys both winced at the thought and shook their heads.

"Exactly."

* * *

The pink haired kunoichi was panting when Hikari appeared by her side in Training ground Three. She was standing on the side of a tree, obviously working on her chakra levels.

"How goes it, Haruno?"

The girl jumped with a loud squeak and fell. She managed to turn herself around to land on her feet though. She'd gotten a lot better.

Hikari could tell that Sakura had already cut her bangs. They closely resembled Tsunade's now and when the pinkette turned slightly, Hikari could see that the rest of her hair has been pulled into two low ponytails. Instead of leaving it there like Tsunade had, Sakura has decided to braid the two long strips of pink. So while she was emulating Tsunade, she was also making her own splash in the world.

"Hi, Hikari-san. I'm working on my chakra control while trying to expand my reserves. I won't be able to do much in terms of being a Med Ninja until I use more chakra."

"I'm sure you're doing well. I came by after my latest mission to see how you're taking Tsunade's hard ass training. I also wanted to see if you needed help with your chakra work and by the looks of it, you need more than just Academy help."

Hikari led the girl over to the infamous river that flowed through the grounds.

"So, in the Academy, we had to be able to balance a kunai on a finger, with only our chakra. This task will be similar. You will place your hand in the water and focus your chakra into the tip of your fingers. In doing so, a small amount of water will cover your fingertips in individual bubbles. Your task is to concentrate as long as you can, by keeping the little bubbles on your fingers. Eventually, you will begin to move them, until you can force them to hover above your fingers with only your chakra."

Sakura looked apprehensive, but when Hikari withdrew her hand from the water and hand five large blobs of water floating above her fingers, Sakura gulped, but nodded.

"I'll do my best."

"Good."

* * *

Hikari spent her first day of her break, in the Yamanaka Flower shop and the hospital. Her independent study of creating poisons had her scouring all sorts of knowledge for information. She wanted to created something that would numb the nerves and cut off the victim's connection to their chakra. Almost like a Juken strike to the tenketsu, without having to physically hit them to do so. A mall nick would be enough to accomplish this task.

Ino's mother, a tall woman with brunette hair that was pulled into a classic bun, was a big help. Though the woman reminded Hikari of high society people, just by her appearance, she was rather kind and soft spoken. Hikari knew very well that the woman was a capable fighter, despite looking so regal. The woman had a good arm. Hikari could see the difference in muscle definition between her arms.

"I know several plants that are poisonous. Angel's Trumpet, Deadly Nightshade, Poison Ivy, Monkshood, Larkspur, Black Locust, and False Hellebore. Other than those few, I don't know many, nor where I would find them."

Ayame Yamanaka gave her a smile. "Well done. Not many people know more than ivy."

Hikari obviously wasn't going to mention that she learned all those poisonous plants from reading a lot of Harry Potter fanfiction. She simply allowed the woman to think that she was a lot smarter than previously assumed.

"I'm working on creating my own poison to use. I don't want something that kills. My goal is…"

She spent the next few hours explaining her idea and recording the effects of certain plants when ingested.

She thanked the woman and moved on to the hospital, bugging as many people as she could, including Tsunade. She knew Tsunade was an expert in counteracting poisons, since she had taught Sakura and the pinkette had kicked ass in Shippuden.

The blonde sat behind her desk as she explained the various reactions certain plants had on chakra. Ayame wasn't a shinobi so she didn't know this information.

Tsunade smirked as she regaled many exploits of hers, when she used her own poison on 'perverted fools', AKA, Jiraiya.

"Why do you just want to block their chakra? Why not just kill the enemy and be done with it?"

Hikari scoffed, "Some enemies can't just be killed. Some are so good, that you need every ace in the hole you can get. Something like this would be good for my first foray into the world of poisons and serums. I'd also like to be known for more than just being a powerhouse like my Bingo Book entry thinks I am."

"Good to know. I have many names that I earned over my many jaunts across the Elemental Nations."

Hikari nodded and gave the woman a smirk. "Like the Legendary Sucker?"

"Oh, get out brat!"

"See ya baa-chan!" she said quickly, Shunshining away.

* * *

"Sasuke, you're supposed to covered your entire body in lightning. And then you charge your enemy and either a kick or a punch will successfully fell them, as well as giving them one hell of a powerful shock."

Hikari was trying to explain the Volt Tackle to the 'last Uchiha'. She'd finally begun using her knowledge of Pokemon attacks and maneuvers.

"The lightning will charge the negative electrons within your cells and chakra, making you run much faster. Still, you should up your Taijutsu training. Added more weight to your weights every week and do more laps up and down the Hokage Monument."

The Uchiha glared at her and she shrugged. "You want a cool attack right?"

"This better work," he frowned, before focusing his lightning chakra once again.

"Naruto, we need to get you outfitted for a set of dual sickles. The attacks I have in mind would be best implemented with a weapon of sorts."

"Cool! -ttebayo!"

* * *

"It's about that time," Hikari murmured as they made their way toward Ichiraku's for lunch. "That old man was annoying. Or am I the only one who noticed how he was ogling Sasuke's ass?"

Said teen sputtered in horror and gave her a look of utter contempt.

"What? He was looking right at it. Any second I was waiting or Naruto to yell at him for challenging his claim."

"Dammit, Hikari-chan, teme and I aren't like that!"

"I know," she agreed. "But it's still fun to piss both of you off. So sensitive."

The Uchiha huffed and walked faster. Naruto simply. "Now teme's in a mood."

"He's an Uchiha. He's always 'in a mood'," Hikari joked. "They were said to have perpetual icicles up their asses."

"No wonder he's so cold most of the time. -ttebayo!"

"Boss!"

Naruto and Hikari stopped in the middle of the street as Sarutobi Konohamaru ran up to them, his two friends Moegi and Udon, trailing behind him. The boy threw his tiny arms around Naruto's middle and grinned up at the red head.

"Hey Konohamaru! What have you been up to?!"

The three midgets gladly introduced themselves, clamoring around for Naruto's approval. Hikari smiled. They were cute when not trying to be nuisances.

"Can we play Ninja today? Will your friend play too?" Konohamaru asked.

Moegi giggled, "Please? Cool kunoichi are hard to come by."

"I'm sure we could turn this into a rather high end training session," Hikari grinned maliciously

Naruto grew nervous and repeatedly waved his hand over his throat. "Come now, Naruto. I'm not that bad."

"Guys, don't listen to her. She doesn't care about how old you are! -ttebayo!"

"Bring it, kiddies!" Hikari whipped out a kunai and threw it. Vaguely, as the children began running away from her, she wondered if this was how Mitarashi Anko felt when she was proctoring the Chunin Exam. It felt really good to chuck weapons at people.

Naruto joined the kids as they scrambled to get away. Unlike them, she took her time rounding the corner and came upon a very familiar scene that made her heart flutter and her stomach fill with butterflies, because this meant something important.

Not the fact that a living version of Kankuro was holding poor Konohamaru up by his collar. Though that was amazing as well, to see Mr. Kitten in person. But it meant that Gaara was only moments away from showing up. And she had a plan. And now she had to plan.

What would Gaara look like as a real person? Would his hair seem like that fake red people liked getting, or maybe it would resemble freshly spilt blood. And how pale would he be? And his eyes! as it actually possible for someone to have eyes that shade of teal?

Her heart was pounding as she thought about it.

Naruto had already extracted Konohamaru from Kankuro's grip.

She joined him, pushing the three children behind her. "You are here for the Chunin Exams, not for an attack on the Hokage's grandson," she said firmly, adding a glare to the mix.

Temari paled and Kankuro took a step back in shock.

Sasuke dropped down on her other side and Team Seven regarded the Suna ninja with cool expressions. All three were ready for an attack though.

Hikari briefly concentrated and released her weights.

As if they were one person, Team Seven all looked to their right as Gaara's chakra signature appeared in the tree, just like in canon. Temari and Kankuro both looked as well and each took large steps away from Gaara's presence.

His hair was like blood and his eyes seemed to glow in the shadow of the tree. He stood upside down with his pale arms folded. Strange that he lived in a desert but was so pale skinned. He glared at his brother and sister, before looking her in the eyes.

Damn! He was fine.

They stared at each other for a moment, assessing one another's power. Gaara's chakra rose and brushed against her own. She rebuffed his sly caress and pushed heavily on him. Those teal eyes widened. He Shunshined, appearing beside his brother.

"H-hey G-Gaara," Kankuro sputtered, wincing.

"Shut up," Gaara hissed. "You're an embarrassment to our village. Grown ninja picking on children does not mean you are strong. And you, Kankuro, are weak to begin with."

The cat like ninja flinched back and mumbled dozens of apologies that Gaara ignored when he turned to fix his eyes on Team Seven.

Teal and black eyes connected and the redhead asked, "You are?"

"Mizumi Hikari."

He then looked to Sasuke.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

And finally Team Seven's own redhead.

"Uzumaki Naruto! -ttebayo!"

"I'm Sabaku no Gaara."

Hikari nodded and then looked to Sasuke, who was glaring at the sand team. He grunted and gave her a 'what?' look. Her brows twitched upward once and she jerked her head in Gaara's direction.

Sasuke managed to understand what she was getting at and he blanched. "No!"

"Yes," she nodded.

Hikari cracked her neck and looked back to Gaara, who was watching her blandly.

She flashed.

No one but she and Sasuke, knew what she was going to do. Her body had disappeared from everyone's view. She ignored the others and simply shoved her way into Gaara's personal space. The sand didn't even react to her presence. Or she had moved too fast for it to notice.

The kunoichi wrapped her arms around Garry's slim shoulders, pushing herself up against him. He gasped in shock and probably a little fear since no one had ever gotten close enough to actually touch him. She then pressed her lips against his own.

Gaara had frozen in place and she ignored the scream of terror that she was sure came from Temari. All that was there, was her and Gaara. And his lips were really soft too. She was impressed, because he lived in the desert and yet his skin was so soft.

"Hikari!" Sasuke yelled from behind her.

With a sigh, she disengaged herself from the redhead and moved to flash away, when he did the unexpected. Gaara's surprisingly strong hand locked into her waist and she paled, realizing that in order to get away, she may have to hurt him.

Shit.

He was staring at her with wide eyes. He didn't look crazy and his sand hadn't moved in a threatening way. He was just looking at her with those bright, teal eyes.

She stared at him for a full minute, before zapping his wrists with her chakra filled fingertips, making them go limp. She then flashed away, until she was beside Sasuke once more.

Said Uchiha was not happy. "Why him?!"

"Sasuke, have you seen him? Oh, wait. You're only into Naruto, my bad."

The boy sputtered, glaring at her in annoyance.

She patted his head and turned to leave, "You still aren't going to be in my harem, Sasuke."

She left them all there, Shunshining away before Gaara's mind would catch up with the present time.

She'd done it! She kissed Gaara and wasn't killed! And it was pretty good, for an amateur kiss.

And Gaara's eyes outlined by those black markings, was a mix of cute and hot. They made him look like a Panda or a Raccoon. Gaara was like a mix of a Panda and a Raccoon. A Pancoon!  **PANCOON**!

She giggled to herself as she ran home. The Chunin Exams were going to be fun.

* * *

**A/N: Another one is done.**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love saying PANCOON.
> 
> Hikari has a pair on her.
> 
> Check me out on Tumblr.


	12. Dangerous Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ^^^^&&&&&&&&%%%%%%%%%%$$$$$$$$$$$############@@@@@@@@@@@Sasuke's jealousy begins to strengthen. Hikari is oblivious. There are Omakes in this. DO NOT skip them. Since this is mostly done from Hikari's 2nd perspective, we see Kakashi's POV in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read the Omakes.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

"I can't believe you chose  _him_!"

"I can't believe you care so much about who I want in my harem! Seriously, everyone I choose, you seem to hate with a flaming passion."

"You pick terrible people!"

"I think you're just jealous that you aren't going to be in my harem."

"Why can't I be?"

"Wait, you  _want_ to be?"

"Just answer the damn question!"

"Dude, you're a clan heir. The people I've chosen so far, aren't. If I was with you, I'd have to give you like five children, unless you were put under the CRA and had five wives and each gave you one child. Neji isn't an heir and Gaara, though he is the son of the Kazekage, is the youngest."

Sasuke's usually pale face was a dark red. Apparently he hadn't thought of what being the 'last Uchiha' meant. He wanted to revive his clan but didn't think about the details it required. It was hilarious!

"Sorry if I offended you, Sasuke. I just hadn't even considered that you'd be interested yet, since you're so focused on avenging your clan. I mean, having harem entails many things. Sex being one of them. Hell, you haven't even thought of sex yet, which is odd because teen boys are usually quick on the uptake with that stuff."

The Uchiha sputtered and looked away.

Naruto, who had been watching the entire episode without a word, burst into near hysterical laughter. "She's totally got you there, teme. -ttebayo!"

"Oh, shut up, dobe!"

"Make me, teme! -ttebayo!"

" **Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!** " **(A/N: Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!)**

"Oh,  _hell_ no!"

* * *

"I've nominated you for the Chunin Exams."

Team Seven's redhead jumped for joy, before throwing his adolescent arms around Kakashi's waist. "Kakashi-sensei you are the coolest person next to Hikari! Seriously, thank you! -ttebayo!"

Kakashi patted Naruto's head slowly, "Great to know that you think so highly of me, Naruto. You can let go now."

When Naruto stepped back, Kakashi handed them each a slip of paper. "I trust that I don't have to tell you what will happen, seeing as Hikari seems to know everything about anything."

"Don't worry sensei, I filled them in when you dumped us in the Shi no Mori for a week. We know what to expect and are very confident in our abilities. Besides, this gives us an upper hand over the competition. We've been in the forest and I know where all the creatures reside."

Team Seven shared an identical grin of pure evil.

Kakashi gave a simple shrug. "Well then, I wish you all luck."

"We don't need it. Luck can either go good or bad. I just want to get to the end and become a Chunin," Hikari snorted. "It shouldn't be too hard, though I'd say we watch out for the Suna team and  _not_ just because Gaara will be in my harem."

Sasuke twitched at the mention of Gaara, but he didn't speak.

"Yeah! Hikari will be able to tell us all about the competition! -ttebayo!" Naruto cheered.

"We should prepare for the second exam. I will need a lot of food."

"Ramen!"

"Hn."

"Let's go then. See you, sensei!"

The three Genin turned and left the silver haired Jonin standing on the bridge. For once, he was the one left behind. Served him right for always being late.

"A lot of people don't know what to expect in a Chunin Exam, but since we are way ahead of the times, we need storage scrolls and I mean a lot of them. Food, equipment, jutsus, and even special scrolls we can equip with weapons that will explode at the roper moments.

I don't know about you, but I can't stand field rations. We're going to need good, quality blood and chakra replenishers and ration bars. The Akimichi shop sells the best but they can be much more expensive, since they are personally made by the clan."

"And how expensive are they?"

" _Well_ …"

They turned out to be extremely expensive, but seeing as Team Seven had been in the same class as Choji and Naruto had been a good comrade to the boy, Akimichi Choza gave them half off, which saved a lot of money.

Naruto Henged himself and together, the three spent several thousand Ryo they had saved up, on preparations. Naruto and Sasuke also picked up their custom made weapons. Hikari didn't need any since she had the Raijin.

"I'm looking forward to fighting people who aren't you two, Neji-hime, or Tenzo. I can properly see how I'm doing. My skill in Taijutsu soon won't matter as I add more speed."

Sasuke frowned, "Getting better in Taijutsu couldn't hurt. Unless you're more worried about Kenjutsu. Both are arts of the trained body, so either doesn't matter in my opinion."

"Oh!" Hikari said suddenly, smacking Sasuke in the arm just for the hell of it. "I finished the you know what! I've got to get home to properly get the antidote and to cover our weapons thoroughly in the you know what!" She took off before they could say anything in response.

* * *

"Neji-hime, how are you on this fine day?"

The Hyuga sighed, eyes rolling toward the heavens in exasperation.

"I searched you out to ask if you have been nominated for the Chunin Exams."

"You bet. And tell you what, because I like you, I'll give you a tip. Don't get hit by any of the weapons my team and I use. I created a poison." She coupled this with a terrifying grin that spoke of the many levels of fucked up her mind had ascended willingly.

Neji's pale eyes widened, but he nodded. He didn't need to know the effects. She'd let his mind wander about with the knowledge of the bear basics.

Hikari carded her fingers through her hair and flipped her head upside down. In a quick movement, she gathered the hanging locks and snapped a rubber band around it all, pulling it up in order to keep it out of the way.

When she righted herself, Neji was staring pretty intently. "What?" she mumbled.

"You have nice hair."

Random, but okay.

"Uh… thanks." How does someone respond to that when it comes out of nowhere? Especially from someone who seems to have a hair fetish?

Their 'solitude' was disrupted when Sasuke appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her hand. "Why is  _he_ here?"

"We're talking. It's something that comrades do. You could learn to speak to people who aren't me or Naruto. But then again, your whole loner personality will prevent you from doing that I guess."

Sasuke did not see the humor in her taunting. He looked sort of pissed. More annoyed than anything. And his dislike of Neji because he was a Hyuga, was probably what made it so strong.

"Calm down, I don't see why you're so worked up over it."

"You see  _everything_!" the Uchiha hissed. "How do you not see  _this_?!"

Hikari looked between the Uchiha and the Hyuga, absolutely not getting where Sasuke was going. "I don't know. I'm allowed to have friends outside my team you know."

"That's not-. For the-. Hikari!" Sasuke sputtered. "For someone aiming to have your own harem, you're surprisingly naive about this sort of thing."

He then turned with a huff and flashed away, leaving Hikari and Neji.

Neji's mouth had dropped open in shock and he was staring at Hikari in shock. "' _Harem_ '?"

She grinned, "Yeah. I plan on having one of my own, but I have to reach Jonin level first. I can't afford to have people claiming that I'm using the harem as a meat shield. I think Sasuke is put out because I never considered him for a position in the harem. However  _you_  are definitely on the list of chosen. Whether it's you as a person or because you are a Hyuga, I can't say. I just know that he doesn't like you or any of the people I choose."

Neji stared at her for a moment, before a very dark flush spread over his cheeks. "You plan I having a harem and you want me in it?"

"Oh yeah, you're definitely harem worthy. I won't actively pursue you until I've reached Jonin level though, so worry not."

She grinned and started walking down the street.

Neji didn't go after her and that was fine. Being told that you were going to be in someone's harem was probably a shock. He needed time.

* * *

"We are ready to beat everyone that comes near us! -ttebayo!"

Sasuke flicked the redhead's forehead. "Be more quiet, dobe. We don't want them to put their attention on us from the beginning. Slipping in under their radar is the best bet."

Naruto shrugged, "But we're ahead of them because we-"

Hikari slapped a hand over his mouth. "I know you're excited, but announcing our advantage over them is not smart. Even walls can have ears after all."

"Fine."

Naruto had been about to yell to the heavens that they had filled the Shi no Mori with preset explosive tags. Surprisingly, no one decided to prep the forest for the exam, so sneaking in the previous night had been a piece of cake in execution. Shunshin had helped greatly in the moving department. Naruto's Kage Bunshin went haywire.

Of course there was a chance that the explosives would hit them, but they had placed them in specific places and if they made sure to travel in the parts not rigged, they should be fine. For the most part.

"Look, there's your Hyuga."

"Seriously? Do you  _want_ to be in the harem or something? I can see no other reason for you to hate him. Honestly man, this is tedious."

Naruto turned an interested ear and quirked a brow at Sasuke. Said Uchiha was glaring fiercely at Neji, who wasn't even facing their direction.

"Let's just get to the third floor."

"That wasn't an answer," Hikari mumbled in annoyance.

As it had happened in canon, Lee and TenTen played the naive little Genin with no experience. Neji simply stood back, not getting into it at all. He wouldn't risk the opinion of the Hyuga Clan that way.

Sasuke didn't walk up to the two disguised idiots this time. He simply walked past them on his way to the stairs. Hikari made eye contact with Neji in passing and the teen nodded once.

Team Seven met Kakashi outside the exam room doors. The silver haired Jonin gave an eye smile. "I'm proud of you three. There is not doubt in my mind that you will all be Chunin when this is over. Hikari, this is from Tenzo. He couldn't be here in person and asked me to give you this."

Hikari accepted the small scroll and opened it. It was a new jutsu and a congratulatory note.

"Ooooh. Something we all can learn," she said, showing the boys.

"That'll be helpful," Sasuke commented.

"Yeah! -ttebayo!"

"Isn't this the camouflage jutsu? It's A-ranked."

Kakashi simply eye smiled. "Well, I wish you all the best of luck. You've come a long way in such short time and I know you'll go even further. Please proceed."

The three waved to him and pushed the double doors open, returning to their former school's main exam hall.

Hostile forces as far as the room stretched. No one normal was smiling and nearly everyone looked ready to attack everyone else. Sasuke and Naruto both gave her the same look. Stick together no matter what. Check.

Team Gai entered the room mere seconds after they did.

TenTen was flipping a kunai. "Normally I'd give you guys a warning about being rookies and such, but from what we've heard of your team, you don't need a warning. So, good luck."

"Back at you," Hikari smirked.

"Yahoo! So you guys have signed up too, huh?"

Hikari had never been a fan of Kiba. Akamaru was fine, puppies were adorable. But Kiba was too similar to another annoying inu anime character and she couldn't stand either of them.

"This is all a big drag!"

Cue Shikamaru and his group.

"Sasuke!"

Hikari saw it all. And she didn't absolutely nothing to stop it. Sasuke gave her the darkest glare he could manage when Ino latched into him from behind, like a monkey. The blonde was giggling in his ear and she pushed her underdeveloped chest against his back.

Hikari had to wonder if she had ever been like that in real life. Sure she was a cheerleader, but it was not all jocks and flirting with anything that had a penis. Between class, practice, and the various games their sports teams played, she didn't have a lot of time for flirting. And of course she hadn't had sex since before the first car hit her. So about ten years of nookiless existence.

She had had one boyfriend in her life. And they had been together for two years, friends for seven. And then when her health declined, he was distant. No longer good enough and no longer the perfect trophy like girlfriend. Not even good enough to remain friends it seemed. He had never visited her after the accidents.

He was a bastard. And he wasn't that good at sex to begin with.

She drew herself back to the present.

Hinata was talking quietly with Naruto, who grinned the entire time, though he sometimes shot Kiba a glare. Shino was silent and she couldn't tell his expression behind his coat and glasses. Shikamaru was studying her closely, like he'd never seen her before. Ino clung to Sasuke, and Choji was eating chips.

Neji had taken residence at her right side, while his teammates stood back a bit, assessing the Rookie Nine. Good Kami what a ridiculous name.

"Hikari-san!"

Said kunoichi whirled around at the familiar voice and gaped. Haruno Sakura was rushing up from her right. She was wearing a white dress akin to what the nurses in the hospital wore. On the sleeves, that stopped at the elbow, was the symbol for medical ninjas. Her sandals were pink though. Still, it was a much better improvement from her outfit in canon.

Her pink locks were pulled back in her new hairstyle that resembled Tsunade's but with braids. She looked more fit and less bone skinny. She finally stopped dieting. The life of a ninja demanded nutrients and vast amounts of energizing food. That meant things with calories. Calories that civilian women who didn't lift a finger, had to worry about.

Sakura was smiling. It was like she was a completely different person. And Hikari was shocked when the kunoichi wrapped her arms around her waist.

"I can participate in the Chunin Exam because of you. Thank you!" the pinkette babbled.

How did that have anything to do with Hikari?

The pinkette retreated a step and flushed, "Sorry. I was just so excited to tell you about how I'm doing and that if you hadn't told me about the medical program, I'd be stuck in the Academy right now instead of participating the Chunin Exams. Thank you for believing in me, Hikari-chan."

Hikari cast a quick glance to the side and nearly snickered. Sakura had been in Sasuke's presence for almost a full minute and she hadn't graced him with her attention once. Everyone was gaping in utter shock at this turn of events.

"You're a diamond in the rough. All we needed to do was chisel and buff away until you were able to shine."

How corny. And yet by the way the pinkette's emerald eyes sparkled, it was the right cliche to use.

"Who are you on a team with?"

"That would be me."

Hikari's heart picked up pace and her stomach dropped. Suddenly, she was feeling ill. Because this was not a canon thing and she hadn't prepared for such an addition to the Chunin Exams. Who could have guessed that this would happen when she set out to change everything in the Naruto world?

Not Hikari.

She looked up, meeting the dark gaze of one Yakushi Kabuto. The standard Harry Potter glasses rested atop the bridge of his nose. His grey hair was pulled back in a spiky ponytail. He wore his signature purple clothing and overall looked like an unassuming dork. A good cover for a henchman of one of the most threatening ninja to ever exist in the Elemental Nations.

And he was Sakura's teammate. Dear Kami, why?

The pinkette didn't know the danger she was in, just by being on his team. What if they tried to kill her? Wasn't the whole team working for Orochimaru in the canon? Would Kabuto kill her in the forest or allow her to safely pass and then quit like he quit in canon? To follow along Orochimaru's plans?

"And  _you_ are?"

Kabuto pushed his glasses up and smiled 'kindly' when they reflected the overhead lights.

"I'm Yakushi Kabuto."

She gave an acknowledging nod. Kabuto was a kick ass medical ninja, it was that simple. Though she'd love to brush him off and hate his guts and tell everyone that he was simply weak, she knew that he was more than he seemed. He was an asshole and had skill. Those two in combination in a person tended to have a bad effect on their character and Kabuto had turned out fucked up thanks to Danzo and Orochimaru fucking around with him.

Perhaps she should kill him early on? It would solve a lot of future problems that way.

"Well, I'll trust that you keep my Pinky safe during the exams, because Tsunade-sama and I have high plans for her and if she is injured due to team deficiency, heads will roll." Literally.

Kabuto noticed the threat and everyone else shifted in interest at the mention of Tsunade.

"Don't worry, Sakura-san will remain safe."

He never said for how long.

"Hey! How about I help you rookies learn about your fellow Genin? That way you can be better prepared!"

Kabuto was also very good at playing the 'good guy'. Hikari could tell that he had everyone but she, Neji, Sasuke, and Shikamaru, fooled with his little act.

Ino, hadn't changed at all. But Hikari hadn't felt the need to involve herself in the girl's life in order to change anything. So when she swaggered over to Kabuto and asked what he knew, she let it slide.

"I have my Ninja Info Cards. Perhaps there are some shinobi you wish to learn about. I have everyone participating in the exams, right here," Kabuto said, brandishing his deck of cards.

Ino surveyed the room. He gaze stopped on one individual, before turning to Hikari. "Yeah. What about the redhead with the gourd and Sasuke Uchiha's team?"

Kabuto smirked, "Easily done."

He ran a chakra covered hand over the cards and pulled out four.

"Sabaku no Gaara is the third son of the Kazekage and is about your guys' age. He manipulates sand, which is carried around in the gourd on his back. He's been on seven C-rank missions and even one B-rank as a Genin! Most impressive though, is that he's said to use his sand as an everlasting defense, since he's never been injured, ever. He is on Team Baki with his brother Kankuro and sister Temari."

Okay, that info relay was a lot different from the one in the canon.

Shikamaru shifted nervously at her left side. He obviously was able to see how much a threat Gaara could be.

"Next we have Team Seven, headed by Hatake Kakashi.

Uzumaki Naruto, acknowledged as the last Uzumaki in Konoha. He actually has a Bingo Book entry in Iwa that would have more information than I do."

Kabuto pulled out the Iwa Bingo Book and flipped through it.

"All of Team Seven are in here! The first Konoha Genin to ever make it into a Bingo Book. All three Genin are going for five million Ryo in Iwagakure.

It says that Uzumaki Naruto has Wind Affinity and uses several high level Wind Jutsu. His Ninjutsu and Taijutsu are at high levels and he has mastered the Kage Bunshin, using them in tandem with his fighting. Nothing about Genjutsu skill though. High skills in Torture, Trap Making, Evasion, and Stealth. Defeated a Jonin of Iwagakure on his own and is wanted Dead or alive. Approach with high numbers."

Kabuto looked up, "This greatly contradicts what your transcripts say about how you were in the Academy. Either you were pretending, or you've finally gotten the right amount of training. It's rather amazing."

Naruto shrugged and elbowed Hikari in the ribs. "That's Hikari's doing."

Kabuto hummed and moved on to Sasuke's card. "Uchiha Sasuke, recognized as the 'last Uchiha. Possesses the second level of the Sharingan. Has Lightning and Fire Affinities, as well as knowing various ranked Jutsu for both. High Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, but also no mention of Genjutsu. High Evasion, Bukijutsu, and Intelligence, with good skill in Stealth and use of his Doujutsu. Participated in the joint killing of an Iwagakure Jonin and must be approached with high numbers.

As expected of an Uchiha."

Sasuke did not puff up at the praise. He already knew that it was good, but he also knew that it could be better and he wanted to be better so badly. Hikari sighed, knowing that this exam was going to bring his inner Avenger to the forefront.

"Finally, the female of Team Seven.

Mizumi Hikari is an orphan who was made a resident of Konoha after she successfully killed a nuke Konoha Jonin who attacked the orphanage she resided in. She was given a year to train in the shinobi arts before entering her last year in the Academy and graduated Top Kunoichi.

She has Water and Earth Affinities and has mastered many jutsu for both. High Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, no Genjutsu. There is a warning about her speed, marked at high Jonin level. Highly skilled in Evasion, Stealth, Bukijutsu, and Intelligence. Has good skills in quick Assassination. Single-handedly killed an Iwagakure Jonin and participated in the killing of another Iwagakure Jonin. Approach in high numbers.

For a clanless orphan, she's holding herself well against her teammates. Has been noted on commenting that she wants a harem of her own."

Two months ago, this would have been too much information to share with people, but in truth now, it was barely anything. Team Seven had dedicated themselves to learning as much as they could.

Naruto's Kyubi and Rasengan, Hikari's Mokuton, Poison, and Raijin, Sasuke's leveled up Sharingan and Chidori, their Summonings, their power level, the fact that they had advanced into training that was done for new initiates in Anbu and that their sensei was an ass when picking missions and training them. They had more over them. Those Bingo Book classifications were shit.

Ino was gaping, Hinata was staring at Naruto, hearts might as well have been shooting from her eyes. Shikamaru was instantly wary of Team Seven and Choji didn't seemed too worried. Kiba took after Ino and Shino's Kikaichu flew around him. Probably getting a feel for the atmosphere.

Hikari shrugged, planning to play it off like nothing special. "We're a heavy assault team. It's expected of us. Three types of teams managed to graduate this year. Tracking, Infiltration and Extraction, and then us. We're the front-liners. Nothing else to it."

Shikamaru wasn't appeased in the least, but he was smart. He could actually pick apart her words and see the truth within. Neji and Sasuke understood her attempt as well, but neither said anything to contradict her words.

Hikari's dark eyes shifted around the room, to the ninja who were close enough to hear everything Kabuto said. Many of them immediately disregarded her team as soon as she brushed it off, but not the Ame team. The Oto team was full of fools and Hikari certainly wasn't going to stop them from attacking Kabuto when he fucked up. Gaara, like most Jinchuuriki, had amazing hearing and he certainly had heard about their team's abilities. And he looked ready to 'feel alive'.

Kabuto gave her a chummy smile, "I'm sure you're better than you think. You wouldn't have made the Bingo Book if you weren't skilled, after all. Your team is certainly better than most others that come here. Like how many attending are veterans who didn't make it prior times. Like those guys from Amegakure."

The other rookies looked over, but Hikari was still staring at Kabuto.

"They've come to the exams seven times already. However, we also have the newbies like the team from Otogakure. A new village that no one knows anything about. They'll most likely be crushed under the force of the great shinobi nations that are in attendance, like Konoha, Suna, and Kiri."

Hikari was blown away. Terumi Mei actually  _sent_  some teams along? In the canon, no one from Kiri, Iwa, or Kumo had attended Konoha's Chunin Exam because of treaty reasons. But since they had succeeded in that mission, Kiri and Konoha business had been back up. Team Seven even had two other C-rank missions to Kiri.

So much had changed already and seeing the fruits of her efforts coming in like this, was simply amazing. And slightly scary. What else had changed? What else would come along? Would it knock her off her feet or some other possibility?

Hikari stepped back, pulling Sakura with her. Sweeping past her former position, was a 'blur'. She saw it just fine but most others wouldn't have been able to keep up. Kabuto was sent careening backward after dodging the first attack and being caught in the second. Sakura gasped in horror.

Hikari ignored her worry and looked to Sasuke, who was giving her a confused look. Why hadn't she just stopped the attack, he probably wondered. She had the ability to do it.

She shook her head and pulled out a scroll. She unsealed a pencil and a piece of paper - one could never be too prepared - and proceeded to write a message out.

"Naruto, make a Kage Bunshin for me, will you?"

Naruto frowned in confusion, but did so soundlessly and seallessly. He'd gotten better at it.

"Go give this to Kakashi-sensei," she said to the Bunshin, handing it the paper.

He nodded and ran from the room, where Kakashi was actually standing with Gai not too far from the door. She remembered that from the anime.

As Sakura fussed over Kabuto's injury, Hikari pulled Sasuke and Naruto into a quick, quiet discussion.

"As the 'last Uchiha', Sasuke, your eyes are a precious prize you know," she commented lowly.

"What?"

She leaned into his space and Naruto copied her, "Kabuto is not on our side. He's working for a dangerous S-Class nuke ninja who intends to capture you and take your Sharingan. We need to be careful in the forest."

Both boys stared at her in horror and she nodded. "I sent the message about who it is and what is going on. The most info I could give him now. When this is over, I'll send what I can between exams, but I hope it's enough to get help, because there is no way this guy is getting you. Even if I have to reveal my Mokuton, which in essence would probably make him target me as well."

Both boys gave her the same confused look and she sighed. "The man who is after Sasuke, is the one who experimented on me."

Sasuke's eyes sharpened and bled crimson, Sharingan coming out instantly.

"Orochimaru," the Uchiha hissed lowly. "He'll probably want all three of us. The Sharingan, the Mokuton, and the Kyubi would be like a power pack to him."

"Exactly." Why not agree? It was a sound assumption.

Team Seven shared a nod. This was business. This was dangerous.

They broke apart just as Ibiki and his entourage entered the room via Shunshin.

"Enough fighting you all! We're here to administer the first test in the Chunin Exam. You'll come and take a number and then sit in your assigned seat. Once you're seated, we'll pass out the papers."

* * *

Hikari had told Naruto and Sasuke the point of the first exam already. Both knew that they didn't actually have to take the test. Naruto jumped for joy. Even if his knowledge had been expanded, he still didn't like written tests.

Hikari felt the surrealism of actually sitting in the room as dozens of shinobi all cheated. It went by a lot faster than in the episode. The damn thing had to show everything from everyone's point of view. When really it all happened at once. Watching Sakura drop from Ino's jutsu was sort of odd. Hikari didn't like it for some reason.

Hikari flipped over her test and began writing her long note to Kakashi. He needed to know what was going on.

* * *

"That was tedious," Hikari commented as she sent Naruto's Bunshin off to give Kakashi more information. Konohamaru and his friends had been sent on their way when Team Seven arrived.

Even without the foreknowledge about what to expect, it still wasn't good enough to scare us. His  **KI** was really weak, compared to Kakashi's," Sasuke stated, looking bored as they waited for Anko to introduce the Second in the exams.

"We will definitely be ambushed by a powerful shinobi, so I guess we should just go all out. Or try to reach the tower first. Whichever works first," Hikari said with a heavy sigh. "This sucks."

"What if we lead him into a place where we put a lot of explosives and then detonate them?" Naruto asked, looking excited.

"Or we have you make some Kage Bunshin and have them Henge into Sasuke and I and then they all spread out," Hikari added.

"Or both," Sasuke mumbled.

"We're pulling out all the stops."

Anko stood atop the gate and held up her waivers.

"You all need to sign these because people will die and I don't want to be held responsible for your idiocy if you get killed!"

Basically what she had said in canon, if a little twisted.

Some poor sod was roped into passing the papers around.

Anko went on to explain about the Heaven scrolls and the Earth scrolls. Twenty-six teams would definitely be downsized while in the forest, making it easier to collect the scrolls.

"Each team will get one and you'll have to find another while in the forest. Don't open them or else, that's all I'm saying. This is to test your ability to survive and how you transport delicate information. Chunin are given missions like this often and you need to be mature enough not to read the information you are toting around."

"Here we go. Remember the marks on our hands, guys, You never know. And our password is  _Mokuton_."

The boys nodded. Easy to remember and quick to say.

* * *

** Omake 1: **

** (A/N: The story is mostly in Hikari's POV and her reactions to everything. But this is important so I made it extra, because we should see how it's handled by the adults.) **

Kakashi Hatake knew that his student's ability wouldn't be hid for long. He knew something would happen that would require her to come forth and he was simply waiting for the day.

And the first day of the Chunin Exams was it apparently.

When the Naruto Bunshin handed him the note, he was confused. And then he read it.

_**Sensei,** _

_**There is a 'Genin' named Yakushi Kabuto, trying to ingratiate himself in with the rookies. Giving free 'advice' on the competition. He is a medic.** _

_**I've seen his life. He was a member of something called Root, under the leadership of the Council member Shimura Danzo. That was until the end of the war where he was picked up by Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin, who explained that Kabuto had been tricked by Danzo. Kabuto was returned undercover to Konoha after the 'Battle of Kikyo Pass' as the 'only survivor' and was 'adopted' by Yakushi Nono.** _

_**Orochimaru is disguised as one of the Genin in the exam. A Kusa ninja. He plans to find our team in order to take Sasuke's Sharingan. Something about trying to become immortal and switching bodies or something.** _

_**Apparently, he can force his soul into a body, absorbing that body's power and when he moves on to another body, he takes the power with him. If he has the Sharingan, it'll go with him to his new body, allowing him to master more jutsu.** _

_**I'll try to relay more information soon.** _

_**This could get bad when we're in the forest. Naruto and Sasuke know the basics now. We're going to try to get to the tower quickly.** _

_**Hoping I'll see you soon and that you'll have any idea of what to do,** _

_**Hikari.** _

Kakashi cursed. This wasn't good.

He parted ways with Gai, deciding not to go to the Jonin Standby Station. He needed the Anbu, and he had ties that he could pull.

His entire demeanor shifted instantly. He wasn't Kakashi any longer. He was  _Inu_  and he had orders to give.

When he Shunshined into the rec room of the Anbu Headquarters, everything stopped. The various ninja around the room, turned to face him expectantly.

He placed his right fist over his heart and stated clearly, "Captain Inu, Anbu Registration 00972013, reporting a Code Red situation."

Those who had been lounging around, snapped to attention and everyone shifted into a single file line instantly.

"The specifics, sir?" Uzuki Yugao asked.

In rare times, Kakashi had the power to dispatch Anbu forces. Not for paid missions, things like that had to be sanctioned by the Hokage first. He could station Anbu operatives in places though and order them in battle.

"I have received extremely reliable information that Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin has invaded Konoha. He has designs upon the last Uchiha's Sharingan. He is receiving intelligence from one Yakushi Kabuto, who is currently taking the Chunin Exams and apparently has gotten his hands on information that he shouldn't have. I want all information on Kabuto, found immediately. We need to surround the Shi no Mori. Orochimaru must  _not_ gain the Sharingan at any costs."

He watched the dawning horror of several of his comrade's faces. They understood how grave the situation was.

Tenzo had set himself to the task of finding Kabuto, while everyone waited for Kakashi to elaborate.

"Yakushi Kabuto is nineteen years old and a member of the medic program with amazing skills accredited to him. He's taken the Chunin Exams seven times and has always given up after finishing the Second Exam, claiming that he wasn't feeling well. A great amount of his past isn't on file. Like he doesn't exist, sempai."

Kakashi frowned. That was barely anything. "I have received intelligence that he was a member of Root for a while, before being apprenticed to Orochimaru. He was apparently found after the Battle of Kikyo Pass as the only survivor and brought to Konoha. I have reason to believe that he is better than he allows people to believe.

While I inform Hokage-sama of the current events, you will all assemble undercover, within the Shi no Mori. Orochimaru must be captured at all costs. Dismissed!"

Everyone moved into action, masks coming out as they prepared for battle. Because there would most certainly be battle coming.

Of all the times to invade.

* * *

**Omake 2:**

Kakashi received his second message just before he reached the Hokage's office.

_**Sensei,** _

_**Yakushi Kabuto: 19 years old.** _

_**Orphan formerly of Mandu Orphanage and took the name of Yakushi Nono.** _

_**Member of Root for many years.** _

_**He assists Orochimaru in invading all of the five great shinobi nations. He has posed as a child in each country, filching secrets for Orochimaru's plans.** _

_**Kabuto is a good fighter and uses his knowledge of medical ninjutsu to attack his opponent with a sharp Chakra Scalpel. He'd good enough to heal his own body by focusing on it. No hands needed.** _

_**Orochimaru has perfected a sort of seal that he has used on many people. Mitarashi Anko has one, but it failed and he left her when she refused to allow it to influence her.** _

_**Orochimaru has struck up an agreement with the Kazekage. Since Orochimaru is the 'Kage' of Otogakure, he has more influence. They plan to decimate Konoha using Sabaku no Gaara's match in the third exam. Gaara is the Ichibi Jinchuuriki and their trump card.** _

_**Orochimaru intends to use a Kinjutsu called Edo Tensei to kill Sandaime-sama by resurrecting the Shodaime and the Nidaime to kill him.** _

_**If I see Orochimaru and survive the encounter, I will be able to relay more information.** _

_**With much hope in living to see tomorrow,** _

_**Hikari.** _

Kakashi jumped into the Hokage's window and stood stiffly before the man's desk. This was the Shinobi no Kami. This was a dangerous situation. How to break it to him. He cast a delicate privacy jutsu, keeping everything that happened in the room, silent to anyone outside it. Not even the Anbu in hiding would hear.

"Sir, one of my students revealed a special ability they possessed and only told me so when it became imperative to a mission we had a while back. I had kept this information close to the chest, but a time has come for you to know, Konoha has reached Code Red and their ability has become crucial to our safety."

He waited for the man to respond. This was serious and he knew that the Hokage wasn't just some old man. He was a leader and his  **KI** could rival the Kyubi's.

"What is happening?" the man asked, looking stern and imploring.

"Mizumi Hikari has the ability to look upon someone and know everyone about them. She has demonstrated this and it is also why she knows so much about everyone she meets. Ever since our mission to Kirigakure to meet Ao-san, she has actively informed me of every serious mission we have. And she has made it easier for her team to defeat their enemies by exposing their secrets.

Hikari knew everything about me, sir. It was staggering, but she wasn't lying."

The man sat there, hands folded beneath his chin as he pondered Kakashi's words.

"And what has Hikari-chan learned?"

Kakashi handed over both scrolls and waited for the man to finish reading them.

"And I've already dispatched the remaining Anbu to the Shi no Mori. Any major chakra flare and they will be on it instantly, with orders to capture Orochimaru at all costs."

The Sandaime's  **KI**  rose suddenly, spiking to levels that Kakashi hadn't felt since the Kyubi's attack all those years ago.

"And you are positive of this information, Kakashi?"

"Yes, sir. Kabuto's identity barely exists beyond his name. He's listed in the medical program but nothing else in the village. He's attended 7 Chunin Exams and quit each one.

Hikari has never been wrong and I wouldn't doubt her. And my entire team could be in serious danger if Orochimaru finds out about their skills."

The old Kage sighed as if the biggest burden in the world just weighed him down.

The ear piece in Kakashi's ear, buzzed.

"Captain, a large amount of chakra and  **KI**  have flared in the twelfth district, shall we proceed as planned?."

 _Inu_  raised his finger the the button and pressed down, relating his answer, "Hunt it down, now! Make sure that no one from Team Seven is taken by the Sannin!"

"Right away, sir!"

He turned to the Hokage, "It's starting."

* * *

**A/N: Another one is finished. Hope ya'll liked it! :)**

** SO, KAKASHI'S ANBU I.D. IS HIS NINJA REGISTRATION NUMBER AND I JUST ADDED THE AGE HE BECAME ANBU AT THE END. I MADE UP THE AGE, BUT I'M CERTAIN HE REACHED IT AROUND THAT AGE. **

**How was it? Let me know!**

**Check out my other fics.**

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**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR..<http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/> I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You read the omakes right? They are relevant to the fic.
> 
> SO, KAKASHI'S ANBU I.D. IS HIS NINJA REGISTRATION NUMBER AND I JUST ADDED THE AGE HE BECAME ANBU AT THE END. I MADE UP THE AGE, BUT I'M CERTAIN HE REACHED IT AROUND THAT AGE.
> 
> How was it? Let me know.
> 
> Check me out on Tumblr.


	13. A Test, A Battle, And Extra Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team 7 in the forest.   
> Team 7 in the prelims.  
> There is an omake at the end.  
> I will be doing omakes more frequently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is cursing. There is kickassness. There is drinking. I operate under the 'old enough to kill old enough to drink' rule. Besides, they're considered adults the moment they become ninja anyway.
> 
> Hikari can't hold liquor.
> 
> Sasuke finally kisses a girl!

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. I FOLLOW BACK!**

* * *

" _This is some bullshit,_ " Hikari cursed in English.

"Those mask things looked stupid. Why did they need them?" Naruto asked, remembering their former enemies, that had been defeated swiftly.

"Gas masks prevent airborne poisoning," Sasuke answered as they jumped from tree to tree.

"Oh. It's a good thing I took them then. -ttebayo!"

Hikari rolled her eyes. Naruto loved taking spoils of battle. He always stripped the enemy of their weapons and possessions before leaving. He was very excitable and his actions usually saved them money on having to buy more weapons. Anything to make life easier. And since ninja life was dangerous, easing the way just a bit was a blessing.

Hikari glanced back at her boys, before facing forward again.

She blanched when her eyes landed on a familiar figure.

"Enemy ahead!"

So much for getting to the tower as quickly as possible. At least they had their scrolls.

Naruto and Sasuke flanked her sides evenly.

It was the Kusa kunoichi. Or more simply put, Orochimaru with someone else's face. Poor sap without a face.

"We need Kage Bunshin and explosives, Naruto," Hikari murmured as they neared the lone enemy.

Naruto understood. This was something else that had been in the scroll they got from Mizuki. Naruto was the only one who could use it to mass effect though. And it was a sort of one time thing. Because the enemy was smart enough to catch on instantly after the first attack. Repeats would most likely be useless.

Naruto made at least one hundred Bunshin, who all surrounded Orochimaru as Team Seven landed nearby.

"Your business with us is  _what_?" Hikari asked in the tense silence. Tense for her team. Orochimaru looked at ease. The bastard.

"My, my, what courage little Leaf. Will you quiver in the wake of my power, I wonder."

Orochimaru's disgustingly, long tongue slipped from his foreign lips and wiggled in their direction.

Naruto made the motion and his Bunshin rushed forward. Orochimaru smirked and made the mistake of grabbing one by the hand and moving to toss it away. Naruto chose that second to release the attack. "Bunshin Daibakuha!"  **(A/N: Great Clone Explosion.)**

The entire area went up in one large explosion and Team Seven had jumped out of the way in time to avoid injury. The ground was destroyed, leaving a large gaping space in the middle of their area.

Hikari was not so foolish to believe that that was the end of the Sannin and burst into action, pulling the Raijin from her back and channeling her chakra through it. It sprang to life instantly, buzzing with energy. She released her seals swiftly and charged.

She dove straight into the large cloud of air, moving so fast, only someone with a Sharingan or who was an S-Class ninja, would be able to keep up with her speed. Near Lee speed. She swung her arm, the Raijin slamming into an equally strong blade. The Kusanagi.

Orochimaru had shed his disguise.

The Genin tightened her grip and and ran a strong pulse of chakra through the blade, shocking Orochimaru with the result that traveled along the large sword in his mouth.

Hikari focused her chakra into her right hand, keeping the left holding the Raijin. With great force, she slammed her free hand into Orochimaru's left shoulder, making his arm go limp. With a great heave, she slammed both feet - both filled with her chakra - into his legs and pushed herself away from him.

She'd managed to disable his arm and both legs. And then he'd do that weird ass shedding thing and return to full strength. Good fuck, the guy was a pain in the ass!

Naruto, in the small amount of time Hikari had single-handedly engaged Orochimaru in combat, had flared his chakra in one massive pulse, creating a ripple in the air as he did so. Hopefully, help would be on the way soon, because not even the combined abilities of Team Seven would defeat Orochimaru.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, even as Orochimaru's oppressive  **KI** filled the air. The three froze in place. This wasn't like Kakashi's. Not even Zabuza's. This was on a whole other level from either of them. The air became too thick to breathe in.

A creepy laugh filled the clearing.

"Well, well. The little Genin have some skills up their sleeves. I'm impressed at your speed, little Leaf. And your disabling of my body was just  _amazing_. How's it done?"

The puffs of dirt and cloud finally thinned out, revealing the Snake Sannin standing there perfectly fine. Beside him, lay his 'skin'.

Hikari snatched a kunai from Sasuke's pouch and nicked her hand with it. Like with Genjutsu, the best way to control your fear around such potent blood-lust, was to focus on the pain you were experiencing. It could keep you alive.

Orochimaru's presence permeated the entire area. Hikari hissed and slashed at Sasuke hand, freeing him from his shuddering. The boy growled at her, but did not remove his gaze from their enemy. Naruto, who was standing on her right side, popped from existence. Kage Bunshin.

The ground below Orochimaru exploded, covering the area in another cloud.

Both Sasuke and Hikari jumped away to higher ground. They shared a look and Hikari released her chakra from the Raijin. She then grabbed Sasuke's arm and stepped back into the tree, using her Mokuton to pull both of them into the tree itself, shielding them from all outside influence, while still letting them see what was going on without being caught by their enemy.

It was an infiltration skill that Tenzo had taught her. And it was dead useful, because the trees in the Shi no Mori were personally created by the Shodaime Hokage and since the Mokuton was a Kekkei Genkai of his line, the trees were somewhat related to all who possessed the ability of Mokuton. The trees, made by chakra, also  _hid_ chakra. Especially the chakra of Mokuton users and those they protected.

Hikari looked around for Naruto, worrying about where he was. She couldn't see him anywhere though.

The cloud cleared suddenly and Orochimaru stepped from it like nothing had happened. And then Naruto appeared, rushing Orochimaru with several Kage Bunshin, all holding the Rasengan ready for attack.

Hikari pulled Sasuke from the tree and nodded to him. The Uchiha stood on the trunk of the tree then, parallel to the ground. His chakra gathered, until it began sparking around his right arm. He took off down the tree, Chidori fully alive.

Orochimaru easily managed to defeat most of the Naruto Bunshin, but one did hit his left arm. Sasuke's Sharingan enhanced performance allowed him to reach the Sannin quickly and shove his attack into the man's already injured left arm.

Orochimaru hissed and with a powerful roundhouse, sent both boys careening. Naruto's body went through a tree, actually managing to go  _through_  it and out the other side. Sasuke was luckily caught by Hikari, who placed him on the ground gently. He coughed, but didn't hold up on standing once again, though he was clutching his chest.

"You little Genin are more shocking than I would have expected. Sasuke- _kun_ , you are quite the surprise. And yet, so is the Kyubi gaki and the little Leaf. How intriguing."

Before Orochimaru could speak any further, a malevolent energy filled the air and Hikari felt a shiver run down her spine. This was worse then Orochimaru's  **KI** , which meant that it was the Kyubi. Naruto had lost his control. Fuck! Of all the times for this shit to go down.

She had to show it then. Or else Naruto would be in danger and his seal could be fucked up.

Naruto's three tailed state dashed out from the trees and slammed a fist into Orochimaru's face, sending the man flying. A great roar was released, shaking the very ground with it's power. The very earth around him gave way.

Sasuke shivered, "Is  _that-_?"

"Yes. The cloak has overtaken his form. The more tails he gains, the closer to becoming the Kyubi, he gets. He's at three and when he hits four, his body will begin to change in order to accommodate his newer appendages."

Orochimaru obviously wasn't taking them seriously as he simply walked back into the clearing, smiling like nothing was wrong. Asshole.

"What a little pest you are. You're in my way boy. I simply want Sasuke- _kun_. Perhaps I should give you a little gift to help reign in that foul temper of yours."

Naruto roared at the man, fangs lengthening threateningly.

Hikari looked up suddenly, feeling and recognizing the oncoming chakra. Someone busty and blonde, shot into the clearing and slammed into Orochimaru, sending him flying once more. Tsunade. Thank the Kami above. And she looked pissed too.

Hikari shifted the Raijin to her back and jumped down to Naruto's level, making the hand signs Tenzo had taught her.

_I, Inu, Tori, Saru, Hitsuji, Saru, Tora._

She flashed, hitting his chest dead on where the Shodaime's necklace lay. She then pushed away, pulling the access chakra with her, forming a long rope between herself and Naruto's Jinchuuriki cloak.

Ten pillars of wood rose from the ground and closed in on Naruto's struggling form.

"Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu: Kakuan Nitten Suishi!"  **(A/N: Hokage Style Elder Jutsu: Tenth Edict On Enlightenment!)**

The red chakra receded from Naruto's body, pulling into the chakra rope and bleeding blue, becoming physically relatable chakra that Hikari was able absorb in return, filling her reserves to the top once more. Damn, the Kyubi had a lot of chakra just for a simple three tailed cloak!

Anbu flooded the area then and Hikari was able to breath easier. This was definitely a better scenario than three Genin facing one of the Sannin who was toying with them and grinning because he enjoyed it.

_Neko_ stopped beside her and offered a small compliment.

"Congratulations on subduing the Kyubi for the first time."

"Thank you, sensei," she winked.

Kakashi also appeared by Tenzo's side and nodded, "Indeed, you've done well for yourselves. Now get out of here. Take Naruto and Sasuke and make your way to the tower. Don't look back. Don't go anywhere else. You have your scrolls?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then go!"

Hikari nodded, grabbing Naruto's unconscious body and hauling it over her shoulder. She jumped back and toward Sasuke, who was looking off in the direction Tsunade's punch had sent Orochimaru. Unlike when they had attacked him, this attack had left a large trail in its wake. Several trees - which were as high a modern skyscrapers and thicker than buildings - had been uprooted form the impact. Tsunade was pulling out all the stops and she certainly was pissed enough cause that much damage to the surrounding forest.

"Kakashi ordered us to get to the tower," she told Sasuke.

"Right. We should go now. They can handle him, right?" Sasuke asked, looking worried.

"We'll have him subdued soon you two."

Both Genin jumped and whirled around, seeing the Hokage himself standing there.

The man gave Hikari a searching look. "I will need to speak to you after the second exam ends, Hikari-chan."

She gave a small bow, since Naruto was hanging over her shoulder still. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Then get going. You'll need as much rest as you can get. Congratulations on surviving against such an opponent for so long."

He was gone the next second. Not even Hikari saw him move. Impressive.

"Let's get the hell out of here," she said, jumping off in the opposite direction that Orochimaru had been sent to.

"Yeah."

The two moved swiftly, away from the carnage.

They needed a rest.

* * *

Hikari dropped Naruto into a bed in their room. She snagged her own bed and sighed.

"We fought a Sannin and lived."

Cold sweat broke out over Hikari's hands and her stomach did flips. She felt like she was going to vomit. The adrenaline was gone and she was left with just the effects of the past four hours and the reality of the situation.

And Sasuke didn't even know what Orochimaru was capable of. Hikari had seen it all already. She knew what the man could accomplish and it was ridiculous!

Her breathing hitched and she felt the tremors fill her body.

She'd never had reason for fear this dream before. But even if it was just a dream, it was real. It was happening in her head, but as Dumbledore had told Harry, 'why should that mean that it's not real?'.

And that  **KI** had been fucking real as all hell! Both Orochimaru and the Kyubi. She'd been foolish to think she'd be able to stop Naruto from losing it at some point!

A hand on her shoulder, had her jerking in shock.

Sasuke was there then, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"We nearly died!" she gasped.

"I've never gone into battle worrying about whether I'd survive, because I knew my limits and I knew about the enemy's. But  _this_ was so different and it's terrifying."

She hated that tears were falling. She hated how scared Orochimaru made her.

It was a weakness. She always hated crying in front of people.

At least Sasuke wasn't marked and Naruto hadn't been fucked with. And most of Konoha's powerful ninja had gone after Orochimaru's ass and the man couldn't shed a body again. Tsunade was fierce too.

"And yet we're alive and the adults will handle it," Sasuke mumbled into her hair.

"That's great and all, but I'm not so appeased."

"Give it time."

How could he be so calm after all this? Or was it the massacre? Had he been so traumatized by that night that he had come to terms with such potent darkness? Hikari had never experienced something like that before, so she was a newb.

"Mah, what happened? I feel like crap!"

The Uchiha and the kunoichi looked over to Naruto, who was pulling himself off the bed, rubbing his chest.

"Teme, why are you putting the moves on Hikari? What the hell?! I'll kick your ass if your hands go any lower! -ttebayo!"

And then Hikari realized what position she and Sasuke were in. He'd somehow maneuvered them to where she was slightly laying on him, with his hands on her lower back. The right hand slowly traveled up her back and back down in a comforting gesture.

She flushed a bit, but didn't move.

"Naruto, I had to subdue the Kyubi. Luckily, Baa-chan managed to knock snake ass away so he never saw it."

Naruto winced. "I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

"Well you clobbered Orochimaru really good. Face full of fist and everything. Though the asshole seems to be really good at acting like he was unaffected by our attacks."

"Probably was," Sasuke muttered.

"Bastard," Hikari quipped spitefully.

"I second that," Naruto said, lifting his hand toward the ceiling. "Can I get some of our food, Hikari? I'm really hungry."

"I don't fancy moving right now. Just fetch the scrolls from my pouch."

Nothing happened and she looked over in confusion. "B-but it's too close to, you know, your…  _um…_ "

"Oh for the love of-!"

Sasuke's hand trailed down and connected with her pouch. He rummaged through it and whipped the scroll at Naruto's head.

"I warned you about putting your hands lower, teme!"

"Oh shut up, dobe!"

Hikari simply buried her face in Sasuke's shirt and proceeded to ignore both of them. Arguing over unimportant shit.

"Hey! Hey! Hikari, do you want to eat some ramen with me?"

"Meh!"

"That was a 'no', dobe."

"Fuck you, teme! -ttebayo!"

* * *

Hikari had already assembled a list of everything she knew about Orochimaru. His past plans. All his experiments. Everything he did before attacking Team Seven in the Canon. It was several pages long, with many branches and asterisks leading to other pages.

Sasuke had pretty much hung all over her over the past five days. Naruto kept a little further away, but probably because Sasuke didn't make any room for him to cling to Hikari. He was like a second skin. White on rice. A shadow beside her own and all that jazz.

Sasuke's constant presence made certain things hard to do. Bathroom activities and training with Hinata mostly. Seriously, she needed some confidence. Hikari won of course, but it was her effort that counted.

"Sasuke, can I have my hips back please? I need to walk and you clinging to me is getting in the way of that."

Sasuke let go, thankfully, but then just moved his arm up and around her shoulders as they continued to walk. She stared at him blankly, before shrugging. At least she could walk better now.

Naruto gave a snort and Sasuke shot him a glare over the top of Hikari's head, but the redhead simply grinned in return.

"I wonder how many teams passed the second exam," Hikari mumbled, wondering if it was all the same teams from the canon version.

Kakashi met them in the main hall, and Hikari was relieved to see the Hokage and Tsunade, among others, in the room. They'd lived after facing Orochimaru. Good. She could feel her worries dissipating.

Her eyes roamed over the teams, noticing that the Oto team hadn't made it. She looked closer and her jaw dropped. How had she not noticed it before?

There was a Kiri team in the lineup and who was standing in the front? Haku.

Hikari lead her team to the position between Haku's team and Gaara's. She was giving Haku a look filled with absolute shock. How much had she changed?

Haku turned to her and gave a wink and a small smile, making Hikari's mouth drop.

The fuck was that about?

She then turned to look at Gaara, who was staring very openly at her. He didn't glare, not like with everyone else, he just stared. Like she was some sort of puzzle to figure out.

Well she  _had_ taken his first kiss, so maybe he hadn't gotten over it. She sincerely hoped that he didn't want to kill her for that little stunt. It was a simple kiss, nothing more. It wasn't like she groped him or anything. Kissing was fine, but anything past that at her  _physical_ age was creepy and odd. It didn't matter that she was like a twenty-seven year old in a twelve year old's body.

She sent him a wink and a smile, much like Haku had, her. Those beautiful, teal eyes widened a little, but the staring did not cease. His Pancoonness was just too cute! She wanted to pinch his cheeks - probably getting herself killed in the process - and coo at him.

The Hokage gave his introduction and congratulations. He explained about how the exams were a way to display their country's power. A way to intimidate the masses, so to speak. The gathered Genin all grumbled at the info. They were practically a show for other people to enjoy and make money off of.

The Hokage then gave the chance for anyone who felt that they couldn't continue on, to leave. Kabuto backed out instantly, much to Sakura's confusion. Hikari noticed several cloaked forms following Kabuto from the room.

She focused her attention on the  _living_  pinkette, completely relieved that the girl was still alive. Kabuto didn't know about Orochimaru's status yet. He had no reason to attack her. Good.

"With twenty of you remaining, I'm afraid we're going to have to hold a preliminary to lessen your numbers for the third exam."

Several protests arose from the gathered Genin.

As in canon, Hayate appeared and asked to take charge of the battles.

The Hokage relented and Hayate began to explain that he was going to place the names in the computer and have two people 'randomly selected' at a time. Hikari had always felt that some of the matches were fixed. Who else would put two Hyugas from different branches together?

Ninjas really liked drama.

The groups vacated the area space to the raised platforms on either side of the room. Hikari and Naruto leaned over the railing on their side, both waiting for it to begin. Sasuke was still practically connected to Hikari's hip.

The electronic board flashed for a moment, before two names popped up in bright gold lettering against the black background.

**Sasuke Uchiha Vs Akado Yoroi.**

Sasuke immediately looked to Hikari and she huffed.

"He's nothing special. He can absorb chakra and use it, so just use Taijutsu and Bukijutsu on him. He's in league with the snake creep, so you might as well end him. He knows nothing helpful and his existence means nothing to anyone."

It sounded harsh, but she was pissed at the bastard for fucking with canon Sasuke. And he foolishly allied himself with Orochimaru of all people, so he took the chance that he'd be slaughtered one day because of it.

Sasuke elegantly flipped over the railing and landed perfectly on his feet. Akado wasn't so fluid in movement and simply stomped down to the arena floor and cracked his neck 'threateningly'.

Without a Cursed Seal to fuck with him, Sasuke managed to kick Akado's ass within seconds. Hikari just smirked, because she knew it would be simple for him. And when Sasuke snapped Akado's neck within ten seconds, most of the other Genin stared at him in slight horror. He'd taken a life that quickly and had shown no remorse for it.

He returned to Hikari's side, pretty much gluing himself to her again.

Naruto snickered and she rolled her eyes.

Shino defeated one of Haku's teammates, though it was much harder than the battle he had fought in canon. Shino was actually injured and had a cut on his arm that was a several inches long. Still, his victory demonstrated his intelligence and clear head very well.

Kankuro was placed against Haku's other teammate. And is ended in a draw, with both unconscious. Kankuro's Kurasu had been destroyed though and his opponent's halberd was snapped in half. It was a pretty good match.

Next came the match that Hikari was most eager to watch. Sakura was fighting, though Hikari knew she wouldn't win, because her opponent was Haku. But still, this was Sakura's moment to shine through and show everybody that she had been working extremely hard and that she wasn't some fan-girl anymore. That she could hold her own just fine and that she deserved respect. And most of all, she didn't need people to protect her.

The Pinkette looked to Hikari and the girl gave a thumbs up and a wink. "Do your best. And know this, he uses Hyoton."

Sakura nodded quickly and jumped over the railing in excitement.

Hayate began the match and Sakura immediately put distance between herself and Haku. She pulled out a kunai and whipped it at Haku, who used one of his own weapons to deflect it. Both connected and rebounded back in the direction of their prospective owners.

Sakura's emerald eyes were darting back and forth quickly. She huffed and shook her head.

With a surprising amount of speed, she charged the ice wielder. Haku easily dodged Sakura's attack and simply waited for something to happen. Sakura flipped over to face Haku once more, crouched low as if to give herself a better chance at gaining speed.

Hikari saw it though. Sakura was crouched over Haku's fallen kunai. Much like Sasuke had in the canon when facing Orochimaru in the forest, she had her right foot hovering over the weapon and was focusing her chakra in order to pick it up.

The girl jumped up, swinging her foot forward at a rather intense speed. The kunai nicked the sleeve of Haku's robe. Sakura descended from her great height, fist cocked back, glowing blue.

" **SHANNARO**!"

Her fist slammed into the ground, shaking the entire building and making the floor completely erupt into several narrow fissures that broke apart under the pressure and vibrations, sending large pieces of stone flying in random directions.

Sakura was already moving, trying her best to land a hit on Haku, who easily stepped out of the way of her very dangerous fists.

The ice user jumped back and made a hand sign. "Makyo Hyosho!"  **(A/N: Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors.)**

Sakura was suddenly trapped within the mirrors of ice that surrounded her. Haku stepped inside the nearest mirror, drawing three senbon as he did so.

Sakura looked around in worry as Haku's reflection entered every mirror. It was impossible to tell which was the real Genin and which was just an illusion. In truth, all of them were Haku. He joined himself to the pieces and could travel through any of them at will. Even little splintered pieces.

Haku's first attack left Sakura's arm covered in senbon, which were quickly removed and the arm was healed over.

Sakura made a few hand signs that Hikari noticed. She then spun in a circle as she blew a large stream of water from her mouth, covering the mirrors completely.

"What is she doing?" Sasuke muttered in confusion.

"I think I know. I only mentioned it in passing, but if she did it, then I will be damned. And of course her control would make it possible," Hikari grinned suddenly, getting why the water was necessary.

Sakura's fist pulled back, glowing once again. But soon it began to crackle with chakra that made loud noises. This wasn't like Kakashi's Chidori or the Raikiri, because great speed and a Sharingan weren't required to learn it.

This was one of those Pokemon references.

Sakura shot off toward the nearest mirror and cocked her fist back, before lashing out and slamming her golden, electricity covered fist into the nearest mirror.

_Thunder Punch._

"What was  _that_?" Sasuke asked in earnest interest.

"Kaminari Panchi," Hikari answered simply. "Coupled with her growing Taijutsu and strength, it will do her good later on."

The mirror instantly cracked under the force of the hit, the sparks exploding out in every direction, hitting the wet mirrors and filling the decomposing dome with bright yellow light and loud sounds of thunder and lightning colliding within the small space.

Every mirror shattered in unison and Sakura stood there, breathing a little heavily. Haku was slightly fried, but didn't look to be injured. He also looked impressed.

"You are very strong. Is there a reason you fight?"

Sakura frowned at the non sequitur, but answered anyway. "I dug myself into a bit of a bad reputation and lost sight of my original goals. And a person I consider to be a close friend, helped me see that I needed to change my ways, if I wanted to be who I always imagined.

If it wasn't for her help and belief in me, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have my shishou and I wouldn't be anything worth mentioning. I want to make her proud by succeeding in proving that her beliefs in me were not hopeless. I want to be better."

Hikari had already know what Sakura could be capable of if given the proper teacher and incentive. But those words, spoken with such conviction, made her emotional rather quickly.

An assault on her feels.

"Are you  _crying_?" Sasuke mumbled in what sounded to be disgust.

"Fuck you, duck ass. I hadn't expected her to take my assistance like that. She's makes me sound like some fucking god or something when all I did was point her in a few directions. Fuck you, man."

Haku gave Sakura a gentle smile. "I am certain you have succeeded. This was a great battle."

Haku disappeared and Sakura fell over suddenly, three kunai sticking out of her neck.

Haku looked over to Hayate and smiled a little more, "I've forced her into a death like sleep. Shall I rouse her?"

When Hayate announced him to be the winner, Haku knelt down, even as med ninjas rushed in to get Sakura.

Haku placed a hand over Sakura's neck and with a quick hand, removed the three senbon instantly. Sakura choked and her eyes popped open in shock. "I-I lost?"

"But you fought brilliantly," Haku said gently.

Sakura sighed and sat up, with the Kiri ninja's help, placing a hand covered in healing chakra, over her neck. "That hurt. How did you do that?"

"How about I come to the infirmary with you and explain it?"

Sakura grinned, "Sure."

Haku followed the procession of medics from the room. Hikari managed to wink at Sakura before she was gone.

The girl then turned to Sasuke with a quirked brow, tapping her foot. Waiting.

"So, are you ever going to doubt me again?"

"Sakura did good! -ttebayo!"

"How did she become  _that_ in six months?" Sasuke murmured.

"Dedication, hard work, perseverance," Hikari listed, using her fingers to get the point across. "She realized that there are better things in life than  _you_ and decided that in order to become better, she had to work for it. I nudged her along and lo' and behold! Her turn out reminds me of Naruto's. Shocking and yet no less amazing."

"Hn."

"Just admit that you were wrong about her," Hikari said, nudging him with her arm.

"Well obviously  _your_  influence had something big to do with it. I admit nothing," Sasuke sneered lightly, leaning closer to her.

Before she could shove her face into his, Kakashi's hands pulled them apart a bit. "Enough flirting you two. You're missing the match."

Hikari's jaw fell and Sasuke huffed, pressing himself against Hikari's side again, like he hadn't just been physically moved. Hikari was still staring at Kakashi in horror. That was so not flirting. Flirting as supposed to be fun. What about Sasuke being a hard headed ass was fun?

"I have never flirted with Sasuke. I flirt with Neji, but not Sasuke."

Said Uchiha sent her a harsh glare. It could have set her on fire if possible.

" _Oooooh_ ," Naruto whistled.

Hikari returned her attention to the arena to see Temari tossing TenTen's unmoving body away. Lee did not take that well.

Once the drama passed, the next match was called.

Shikamaru and Ino.

Shikamaru won easily. Simply, Ino was not fast enough to dodge his shadow and since Shikamaru kept his pouch in a different place, she had no weapon to throw when he was aiming an explosive tag covered tag at her.

Anticlimactic.

Then came Naruto's battle against Kiba. Naruto pretty much surrounded Kiba with a hundred Kage Bunshin and had them knock Akamaru unconscious with a senbon covered in Hikari's poison. Kiba was then pounded into the floor.

Another boring battle.

Hinata and Neji fought.  _Fixed_. Neji won of course, but he wasn't an asshole to Hinata and pretty much coached her the entire time, over her form and the space between her stance and how to improve herself. Eventually, she forfeited and they bowed to each other in respect.

So much better than the canon battle, even if it was boring in terms of excitement and flashiness.

What came next, was Gaara and Lee.

Hikari leaned forward a bit more, in worry.

Gaara's sand filled the area and latched into the bits of rubble that were left over from Sakura's battle. The rocks were pulverized into more sand like material for the Suna ninja to use.

Lee released his weights like Gai told him he could.

It was interesting to see the green blur that Lee became. She could barely keep up with his movements around the arena. And to think, Gai only had him on that for a year and he had gotten so far in so little time. It was amazing what hard work could accomplish. Examples: Naruto, Sakura, Lee, Hikari.

Rock Lee moved with expertise that she would swear not even Gai matched. Gai fought well, but from what she had seen, he did not use much in terms of weights. Lee could not use anything but Taijutsu, while Gai  _chose_  to use only Taijutsu. Lee had more to prove in terms of strength and existence, than Gai did, which was made him the better shinobi in Hikari's eyes.

Gaara's Ultimate Defense wasn't so fast in keeping up with Lee. Gaara was made into a human ping pong ball as Lee kicked him all over the small arena.

But even poor Lee had to release his Gates in order to get past Gaara's sand armor. And Hikari knew, from extensive research over trying to understand what using the Right Gates meant, what it was doing to the 'Green Wild Beast'.

And then came the part that Hikari had been dreading and though she knew Tsunade was in the village wand would have been able to fix Lee, she couldn't help herself. And truly it was a foolish move because she could have been killed. But Lee's life was on the line and the Gates had fucked up his body enough already and with his speed going down so drastically… nothing good would happen.

So when Gaara's sand covered Lee's arm and leg, Hikari had already released her weights and flashed. She ignored Sasuke's pointed shout of her name as she threw herself into Gaara's personal space -  _successfully_ for the second time in her young life - and repeated her actions from the day they met.

Sasuke's angered shout filled the room, which was then surrounded by an awkward silence as everyone finally seemed to notice what she was doing and why Lee had been suddenly released from Gaara's sand.

Hikari pulled back a bit and made direct eye contact with Gaara, who was staring at her again. And once again, both of them just stood there, doing nothing. Actually, Hikari was sort of amazed at how soft Gaara was and how he didn't smell like blood like she had assumed he would.

She took the chance to look over at Hayate, who was gaping a bit. "I interfered on Lee's behalf, so the battle's over, right?"

***Cough cough***

"Yeah. Shosa: Sabaku no Gaara."

Hikari moved to step away, when Gaara's sand rushed up and encased both of them inside a dome. She stiffened in worry. This was not good!

It was dark. Like, really fucking dark in there. And she was certain that there was no air reaching them. They'd suffocate in there!

"You're afraid."

The very first time Gaara spoke to her directly and since she was practically rubbing up against him, she could feel the vibrations in his voice. How was it that a twelve year old had a voice that mature? That isn't fucking fair, dammit!

"And yet you would dare touch me, let alone place any part of yourself on me."

Was it her or did that sound a little dirty?

"You are afraid, but you do not shake. Your blood has not risen in fear. Your breathing has remained normal. I do not understand."

"Perhaps I'm confident in myself," she proposed, trying to reason out why she felt scared, but none of the bodily reactions were showing. He made a good point.

"I could kill you easily," he whispered, sand closing in on them even tighter. "And still you do not fear  _me_. It is not  _me_ you fear. Why?"

"How are we still breathing fine while in here? We aren't going to suffocate from lack of oxygen?" she asked, ignoring him mostly because she couldn't answer.

Gaara's voice came out sounding slightly bland. "You fear suffocation, but not being locked in a small enclosure with a monster like  _me_?"

"You aren't a monster, despite Shukaku," she mumbled without thinking. She was too busy pushing on the sand, trying to make it budge. "You're two different beings."

She felt Gaara stiffen and mentally reviewed what she had said. Shit. Not good!

"You know.  _How_  do you know?!"

She winced at the growing -  _panic?_  - in his voice.

"No one. It's like a Kekkei Genkai. I know things about people just by looking at them."

"And you know about me, but aren't scared?"

"Not really. So, can we please rejoin the living world because my match is next and I want to win."

Gaara did not speak any more. His sand simply retreated into his gourd and Hikari breathed easier when the light of the arena burned her eyes. "Thanks," she said, pinching his cheek and flashing out of his hold and over to Hayate.

"My turn, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks for finally joining us," he answered with a few coughs.

Gaara Shunshined back to his sister's side, staring down at her intently.

"Akimichi Choji Vs Mizumi Hikari. Hajime!"

Choji began the battle by throwing his arms up and screaming that he was hungry and would end it quickly so he could go eat.

A foolish move that made his own team all groan.

Hikari had already ended it by the time he finished speaking, by flashing his way and hitting him in the, what she liked to call, 'Mr. Spock Nerve' with her chakra.

Choji collapsed into unconsciousness and she looked up to Hayate. "I win."

He agreed and declared her the victor. Asuma came down and hefted Choji back over to his team because he didn't need medical attention.

The Hokage had them line up as Hayate made them each pick a number from a hat.

And it was very canon like, except Sasuke's match wouldn't have to be pushed back.

**1\. Neji Vs Naruto.**

**2\. Shikamaru Vs Temari**

**3\. Gaara Vs Sasuke.**

**4\. Hikari Vs Shino(winner Vs Haku).**

Hikari had to wonder if she'd actually get to fight in the end. If the ninja from Oto would still attack the village with Suna or not.

So she had a month to train her individual skills, because she knew she was much stronger than both Haku and Shino, though neither were slouches themselves. She and her team had simply been through more together.

But what could she possibly learn in a month? Naruto would be meeting Jiraiya, and Kakashi would be taking Sasuke to train him. Especially now that he knew that Gaara was a Jinchuuriki, courtesy of Hikari of course. What could she do for the month?

She looked around the room, eyes latching on to Tsunade's form and then past her to Anko's form. Perhaps basic knowledge in their specific fields would be good to know. One could never know too much in terms of surviving on the battlefield.

She could bug both of them enough and learn a few tricks. And also make sure that Naruto and Sasuke didn't starve themselves in an attempt to get stronger by forgetting to eat during their training. They did that often enough.

That sounded like a plan.

Good.

A tap on her shoulder, alerted her to Sasuke returning to her side. "You heard none of that, did you?"

"I already knew what would be said, so it doesn't matter," she shrugged.

"Hn."

"We're going to kick almighty ass! -ttebayo!"

Naruto and Sasuke fully joined her as Kakashi made his way on over.

"Congratulations you guys. All three made it, which can't be said about the other teams. I'm impressed."

"You shouldn't be. You've been saying for months that we're already Chunin level. We have to at least be Tokubetsu Jonin level in some things."

"True," he acquiesced. "Anyway, I have been given leave to take you all out to celebrate and once that is over, we go and see Hokage-sama."

"Why don't we go see him first?" Sasuke asked, with Naruto and Hikari nodding along.

"Because he has a feeling that this story is going to be long and he knows that the Genin would like to eat real food after the second exam. So where to? I'm paying!"

His announcement was met with skeptical silence as his three Genin looked him up and down.

"Really?" they all finally asked, sounding unbelieving.

"No faith, I swear."

"Yeah, but you're known for skipping out on paying for meals, sensei," Naruto pointed out.

Kakashi gave an amused chuckle, "So I am. Well, I guess I deserve it then. Still, I'm paying and please don't fight over where we go this time."

The three Genin faced each other and raised their hands. "Mu-shi-ken!"

Hikari won.

"Barbecue!" she cheered, missing the good steak she hadn't had in a long time.

The restaurant practically had a hibachi like grill at every table and it was marvelous!

Sasuke and Naruto sighed at her enthusiasm, but she ignored them. She wanted her food!

"Let's go!"

Kakashi actually ordered Sake and gave them each a sakazuki **(A/N: Disc like saucer.)**  of it.

"Drink. You'll need to be loosened up for later on and it would just be better this way."

"Aren't you going to drink some?" Hikari asked.

"I already have."

Truth. His sakazuki was already empty. Damn he was fast!

"Ne, ne, why don't we see who can handle all of it at once?" Naruto asked looking excited as he wiggled his brows at Sasuke and Hikari.

The Uchiha smirked, "You're on dobe. Hikari?"

She sighed. In reality, she was as light a weight as one could get. But maybe it wouldn't be like that now. She was a ninja after all and Tsunade only got buzzed after like ten bottles of sake, so what could it hurt?

She lifted her sakizuki and smirked back, "On three."

"Two," Sasuke continued.

"One! -ttebayo!"

They chugged back their sake… and all was lost.

* * *

Hikari rolled over with a groan. She had a massive headache. One that she recognized well enough. People could never forget their first time getting drunk. It was like a shock to the system and it wasn't pleasant. And she'd only ever been inebriated once before in her combined lives.

"Oh, you're awake. Thank Kami."

She groaned louder this time and pushed her face into the soft thing beneath her. She was pretty sure that it was a pillow, but one could never be sure when hungover.

"I didn't think I was that much of a lightweight," she mumbled into the softness below her face.

"Neither did I. No more alcoholic drinks for you."

She pushed herself up, will extremely delicate movements. She was careful not to jostle herself unnecessarily and shifted into her butt as quickly as she could.

When she opened her eyes, she was blessed with sweet darkness in the room, with only the moonlight coming in through the nearby window. She was in the Hokage's office, lying on a small couch. Okay then.

Tsunade appeared on her left, holding out a small bottle of water and a pill. "It's to take care of the hangover. You really can't handle it, kid," she grinned.

Hikari took both gratefully, chugging the water down in order to hydrate herself. Her mouth was so fucking dry!

She became aware of a dull aching in her left fist and rubbed the pain away with her other. She looked up, finding Kakashi, Tenzo, Sasuke, Naruto, Tsunade, Shizune, the Hokage, and two masked Anbu standing around the room. They all were giving her the same look.

"Alright what happened? You're giving me this odd look and you wouldn't be if nothing had happened."

She looked to her team first, expecting one of them to say something. Naruto simply grinned, Kakashi was reading Icha Icha, and Sasuke refused to look in her direction. He was staring at the very far wall and she could swear that his face was red.

Was he drunk too?

Kakashi placed Icha Icha in his pouch and sighed. "We learned that we should never give you alcohol. For two very important reasons."

She waited patiently. "Elaborate, please?"

"Well, you become a… how do I put this? You stole poor Sasuke's first kiss with a girl."

Her jaw dropped. And then Naruto had to add to it.

"And his second, and his third, and his fourth, and his fifth," he began, counting it out on his fingers. "The first twelve, right?" he asked Kakashi.

"Thirteen," Kakashi corrected.

"Oh yeah! And the whole time you kept going on about how he'd be in your harem after you finally thought it through and that you thought he had 'luscious hair, even though it's shaped like a duck's ass'!"

Pure horror. And a slight amount of humor at the duck ass part. But mostly horror. And a look at Sasuke showed that he too was completely embarrassed by the event.

Why? Kami, why?

"And it doesn't stop there," Kakashi chirped happily. "Once I managed to get you off his lap, you spotted someone across the room and decided to go over there."

Oh, Kami!

"Poor Neji wasn't expecting you to steal his piece of food and then kiss him so thoroughly.

And that's where it all went downhill."

" _What happened_?" she asked dreading the answer.

"From your position, which was leaning over Neji, another patron of the restaurant decided to get friendly in a sense."

Naruto scoffed, "Just tell her like it is, sensei. He grabbed your ass."

Hikari's eye twitched.

"And then the second reason for never getting you near alcohol, arose. You're a natural at Suiken."

Her jaw dropped for the umpteenth time. "Really?"

Nods.

"Did I beat the perv's ass?"

More nods.

"He's standing right there," Kakashi said, pointing to the Anbu in the owl mask. "Tsunade-sama had to heal him because he's needed on duty during this next month, otherwise she'd have left him to suffer. Hokage-sama has punished him by giving you half his pay for the next month in return for his actions."

"I'm good enough to beat an Anbu's ass when I'm drunk," Hikari said, feeling empowered for some reason. "That's awesome!"

"Yes, well," Kakashi coughed into his fist. "That'll only be used as a last resort action if you will. You also blew down a wall and destroyed several tables."

"How do you even know about it?" Tsunade asked. "It's not a fighting style that is well known around the Elemental Nations."

"Rock Lee is also a user of Suiken."

"How do you know that?" the Hokage asked. "I'm certain you've never met him before the Exams, from what I know."

"Well, here's the purpose of our visit, Hokage-sama," Hikari smiled tightly.

She gave Kakashi a look and he nodded.

"I know things."

* * *

**Omake, Never Give Hikari Sake:**

Hikari swayed in her seat, an incredible feeling of warmth filling her instantly. She looked to the side and ended up staring in awe.

Had Sasuke always been that sexy? Even the duck ass was catchy.

And the next thing she knew, she was kissing Sasuke and actually enjoying it. Though Sasuke was as stiff as a board.

She pulled away and mumbled something about participating in the damn kiss already! It was hot and heavy and she lost count of exactly how many times she had to breath and make Sasuke actually do something.

She was happy when he finally kissed back. She displayed her joy by shoving her tongue into his mouth and moaning for a reason far beyond her thought process.

"Ya know -  _hiccup_  - ya got luscious hair, even if it's shaped like a duck's ass. I want you -  _hiccup_  - in my harem."

And then she was being pulled away, but she refused to relinquish her hold on her Uchiha. She even went so far as to pull him with her, making it so they could kiss again.

Sasuke's sexy self was torn away from her hold and she whined in sadness. How could they take him away? She was getting into it, dammit!

Her body was jerked around, cutting off her visual link to the Uchiha. And then she noticed someone and all thoughts of Sasuke vanished from her mind.

Neji! Neji! Neji! Neji! Neji! Neji! Neji! Neji! Neji! Neji!  _Neji_!  _NEJI_!  _ **NEJI**_!

She vaguely noticed herself hitting the hands holding her and feeling them drop instantly, as if they couldn't move any longer.

She launched herself across the room at a speed that even made everything blur. She found herself leaning across a table, plucking a piece of steak from Neji's chopsticks. After swallowing it whole, she found herself playing tonsil hockey with her favorite Hyuga.

And it all went downhill when she felt a very large, firm hand, grab her ass.

Filled with anger and the inability to stand upright without swaying, Hikari lashed out at the grinning man who was responsible.

She blurred, leg sweeping out to kick him in the chest. Her chakra filled foot connected and his body went flying, smashing through several tables as it did so, before crashing through the far wall with a loud  _bang_.

She swayed once more, feet constantly changing position in an attempt to stay still. She bent low. "Ya -  _hiccup_ \- bastard -  _hiccup_ \- tryin' ta -  _hiccup_ \- cop a feel!"

She crouched low, intending to use it as a good way to push herself forward. "I'll fuck -  _hiccup_ \- ya up!"

And suddenly someone was holding her waist while two more hands grabbed her own hands and another pair of hands had her feet. She struggled against the hold, but couldn't move or make any dangerous attacks when her hands and feet weren't free.

"Leggo!" she demanded.

"No!"

"Control yourself!"

"Think of the image you are presenting!"

She gave a loud cry, renewing her struggles all the more.

"How about you give Neji another kiss?" someone suggested loudly.

Hikari froze. " _Neji_? Where?"

Where was Neji? And why was she being held down?

She grinned suddenly. "Neji, I didn't know you liked bondage. Kinky."

She never saw the looks of embarrassment and horror on Neji and Sasuke's faces.

* * *

**A/N: Another one is done.**

**1\. Hikari is a lightweight and I threw Suiken in there for humor and later chapters. You'll see eventually.**

**2\. None of them actually managed to hurt Orochimaru at all. At best, Hikari got him to change bodies, that was it. He was fucking with them.**

** 3\. Sasuke was so okay in the end because he'd been through worse trauma. Both he and Hikari were completely terrified of the Kyubi's chakra though. **

** 4\. Orochimaru is dead. Hokage-sama, Tsunade-sama, Kakashi-sensei, and a bunch of Anbu took his ass out. That's a lot of people to kick one guy's ass. Kabuto was killed as well. **

** 5\. Remember, Team 7 are already Chunin level, so they are better than their opponents. **

** 6\. Gaara may seem OOC, but really he's just confused. Hikari isn't scared of him per se, but she should be. He doesn't understand why she seems so level headed or willing to touch him at all. Mind you, their meeting was different than normal. No one has ever managed to get into his guard let alone touch him. I know  _I'd_  be confused over someone randomly getting into my personal space and kissing me when no one had ever been able to before. **

** Worry not, Gaara will kill someone in the future. And his actions will be bloody and pretty unreal, but I want it that way. Naruto and Hikari will befriend him though. **

** 7\. I already have the next chapter finished and am done with 15, 16, and 17 too!! **

**How was it? Let me know.**

**Check out my other fics.**

**Ja ne! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR..<http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/> I FOLLOW BACK!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Hikari is a lightweight and I threw Suiken in there for humor and later chapters. You'll see eventually.
> 
> 2\. None of them actually managed to hurt Orochimaru at all. At best, Hikari got him to change bodies, that was it. He was fucking with them.
> 
> 3\. Sasuke was so okay in the end because he'd been through worse trauma. Both he and Hikari were completely terrified of the Kyubi's chakra though.
> 
> 4\. Orochimaru is dead. Hokage-sama, Tsunade-sama, Kakashi-sensei, and a bunch of Anbu took his ass out. That's a lot of people to kick one guy's ass. Kabuto was killed as well.
> 
> 5\. Remember, Team 7 are already Chunin level, so they are better than their opponents.
> 
> 6\. Gaara may seem OOC, but really he's just confused. Hikari isn't scared of him per se, but she should be. He doesn't understand why she seems so level headed or willing to touch him at all. Mind you, their meeting was different than normal. No one has ever managed to get into his guard let alone touch him. I know I'd be confused over someone randomly getting into my personal space and kissing me when no one had ever been able to before.
> 
> Worry not, Gaara will kill someone in the future. And his actions will be bloody and pretty unreal, but I want it that way. Naruto and Hikari will befriend him though.
> 
> 7\. I already have the next chapter finished and am done with 15, 16, and 17 too!
> 
> How was it? Let me know.
> 
> Check out my other fics.
> 
> Check me out on Tumblr.


	14. Omake Paradaisu!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Was finally able to get this off of FF.net in order to post it. WARNING: I have not updated this fic in almost 2 years. Once I finish posting chapter 18, that's all there is. I lost interest in this fic after so much ridiculous shit. If I had made the character one of the characters from the anime, she would be awesome and no one would have a problem, but simply because she is an OC, she gets hate.
> 
> Writing this fic has become a hassle that isn't worth it. So once everyone on here is caught up to chapter 18, there might not be any more. Sorry, but the hate greatly outshines the love for this. I focus my attention on the stories people pleasantly respond to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** (A/N: Remember, I added Mito being Kushina's great aunt to the fic. Pretend that it's true. It would make more sense since Kushina came to Konoha to be the new Jinchuuriki and people didn't know that part. Pretend that the reason she appeared was because she was the Shodai's wife's relative.)
> 
> Also, this is an all Omake chapter.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK!**

**WWYDI? OMAKE PARADAISU!**

**I don't normally do requests, but I have thought of doing this and then this person asked for it and I was all, 'why not?'**

* * *

**Omake Neji: Right From the Start.**

Hyuga Neji was a prodigy of the Hyuga Clan. There hadn't been another like him in nearly two decades. He'd unlocked his Byakugan when he was three and from that day forward, he trained to perfect his ability.

He was only given a true reason to train his hardest, when his father died.

And that foolish little daughter of _Hiashi-sama_ had the reason behind it! If she had just taken to her training like he had, if she had bothered to unlock her _own_ Byakugan, then she wouldn't have been so easy to capture. She wouldn't have been the reason why his father was sacrificed in order to let the Hyuga Clan Head still live.

And _Hiashi-sama_ did not care. He never once spoke of his younger twin. Nothing about his death. He never came to see Neji after the whole fiasco. Even Neji, who was forever fated to serve as a Cadet Branch member and therefore not given the honor to grace the hall of the Main Branch, had noticed the instant change in the man.

His treatment of everyone simply was worse. And when _Hinata-sama's_ mother passed, he was nearly unbearable. And the only way to gain his attention was either to commit a felony of some sort, or to succeed and do well as a shinobi, bringing good reputation to the Hyuga name.

Neji had personally witnessed the use of the ancient seal of their clan. His _dear uncle_ had used it on Neji's father - his own brother - simply to prove a point. And then Neji had been branded with that very same seal, forced to live every day in fear of wondering if his actions would cause one of the Elder Council to use it against him.

He didn't want to live in fear. He didn't want to be a slave to his own _family_. Who was he kidding, they weren't a family. _Family_ didn't enslave each other and force horrible suffering on them simply for a low mark in class or a little back talk.

Neji was forever doomed with the punishment of the Hyuga Juinjutsu hanging over his head. He didn't want to suffer, so he pushed himself even harder.

Those Main Branch members had it lucky. They had nothing to worry about. Never punished for their wrong doings and their attitudes were simply deplorable.

The heiress of the clan was a joke. She obviously never took her training seriously and she didn't have to. She was a Main Branch member and life was meant to be easy for her. The younger sister was a menace. Word was, she was being considered for the position as Head, but that didn't mean well for anyone in the Cadet Branch, because the little brat saw nothing wrong with the seal and felt that it should be placed on the Cadet children at birth. She proudly proclaimed her ideals for everyone to hear.

So the first daughter - his cousin - was a waste as a shinobi and an heiress. The second would drive the clan into ruin through pain. There was no hope.

And so Neji lost all hope. There was nothing to hope for with those two in control of the future.

Neji's fate had been decided. He'd been chosen as a Cadet Branch member. He was fated to live his life, moving to the beat of a master's drum.

His only act of defiance, was to be the best. And so he was the first prodigy in twenty years and had proved himself by attaining the highest marks in the Academy.

 _Hinata-sama_ was a year below him and he knew for certain that she was only fifth place in the class lineup, with the Uchiha coming in first place every exam period. An Uchiha beating a Hyuga. Disgraceful.

Neji trained. He trained till his fingers bled. He toiled until he couldn't stay awake any longer. He trained till his bones were visible.

Every day. As often as possible. He was so close. So close to unlocking the various Main Branch Juken techniques. He'd studied as often as possible. Memorized movements as much as he could. He currently had two hundred and thirty-eight of the three hundred and sixty-one Tenketsu mapped out. Soon he'd be able to utilize the proposed attack of the Main Branch. He'd show them all that even though he was simply a Cadet Branch member, he was better. Better than their precious heiress apparent.

It had been a day in the middle of his last year at the Academy, when he ran into the most odd person in his life.

He'd been perusing the training grounds and found her alone. She had no marks that listed her as a member of a clan. Nothing distinguishing. No hitai-ate. In fact, she had a face that could be passed over easily. She vaguely reminded him of what he had seen of the Uchiha in the class below his.

She was holding a bokken against a training stump, running through the various katas. He'd never personally seen someone use a sword, but he was certain that she was new to the weapon. Her hands shook slightly on every upswing.

Nothing else of importance other than the bokken. No books or Academy weapons. She was a civilian, with an incredible amount of chakra, he noted.

He couldn't keep his mouth shut. She wasn't in the Academy. No ninja training at all.

He voiced his opinion of her skills and tried to make her see that it was pointless. Too late in her journey to really be anything useful to the village.

Her eyes, were much like the Hyuga. She had no pupil. They were pitch black. An obsidian color that was so perfectly polished and reflective, that it was startling at first.

She dismissed his presence all together! Much like those in the Main Branch did!

He grit his teeth together in annoyance.

"Okay Hyuga, I was asked to join the Academy _next year_ , by Hokage-sama himself. I'm using this time to train. Technically, I could graduate with the class of this year, but I want one year with other people my age. If I have to work with them at some point in the future, I'd prefer to know them more than just as teammates. It is my decision and Hokage-sama has agreed."

He was left floundering in shock. He did not appreciate being proven wrong. So he did the next best thing to try to one up her, however childish it was. He insulted her Kenjutsu ability.

Her reaction wasn't what he hoped for.

"So because I don't look threatening to you, you can immediately assume what you want about me?"

He was expecting her to fly off the handle like most girls were wont to do.

He simply nodded and as shocked when she scoffed at him!

"Fine then. Since you look like a girl, I'm going to refer to you as _hime_ **(A/N: princess)** from now on. You _look_ like one after all."

He couldn't help it. He glared at her, wishing he knew a Katon Jutsu at least. And she was smiling at him! Why was she smiling?!

And she simply shrugged!

"Kenjutsu isn't a requirement for Academy graduates, this is just me getting to know the art. My sensei has been making me repeat reps. Do not assume that you are better because you have pretty eyes and hair, Hyuga. Your clan name doesn't mean a thing in the real world."

How dare she insult him! Calling him 'pretty'! He glared and shifted his weight. Once clear, he charged. He didn't care that she was a girl. He didn't care that she was a civilian. He just wanted to prove her insignificant compared to him.

He wasn't expecting her to be fast enough to sidestep his attack! She simply bent down and then jumped him. Avoided every attack he sent her way. Like she knew what to expect of him.

He was sent flying by a very direct kick that he wasn't fast enough to dodge, even though he saw it coming for him. His body wasn't trained well enough to react to certain speeds yet. He'd have to remedy that.

He attacked again, hoping to catch her off guard, but she did the dishonorable thing and kicked him - _there_!

If it wasn't bad enough that he was felled by a kick to the genital region, she pinned him to the ground and held a kunai - that she puled out of her shirt - to his throat in a threatening matter. Her other hand was resting atop his own, which was none too discreetly cupping his pained manhood.

She looked him in the eye and he couldn't withhold the flush, because he knew very well what their position looked like. He'd attended the classes given by the clan. No Hyuga was to be instructed in some of the _finer shinobi arts_ , by the Academy. It was a law. He knew of this position.

She gave him a dark grin and whispered, "Remember, you were just defeated by a clanless, Kekkei Genkai lacking, orphan, who only started shinobi training seven months ago. Your innate talent and blood limit mean nothing against my hard work. Drop the attitude, or else you'll get your ass kicked in the future, in the most humiliating way. In fact, I can see your future now, if you stay on this road. You'll be brought back to the ground by a bubbly but misunderstood blonde. And the trip won't be fun, I assure you."

He was going to say something along the lines that she had cheated, but he closed his mouth. In the shinobi world, any hit mattered. She did what she could while causing minimal damage to a clan member.

He'd misjudged her and he told her as much. She scoffed in his face again!

"Neji - yes I know your name - don't look at me like that. Anyway, fate is a load of shit. The only 'fate' we all share, is death. We will _all_ die someday. But what we do until we get there, is entirely up to us."

She didn't know what she was talking about. She as simply a civilian, what would she know?

Her kunai hit him in the forehead, right over the part of his plain brown hitai-ate that he used to cover his seal. His eyes widened without his permission.

"Pay attention! There's a boy in your class. Bad haircut and odd speech pattern. He can't do Gen or Ninjutsu, because he can't mold his chakra for either. He will graduate simply because he never gives up and shows skill in Taijutsu. One would label him as a loser because he can't do everything that others can and yet he will graduate and prove them all wrong in his dream to become a Taijutsu master. He's already defied the 'fate' that was so clearly set before him.

I was a fat kid, until I woke up one day and didn't want to be so unhealthy any more. It took me four years of exercising to look like this, you _baka_ **(A/N: Idiot)**. No one thought I could do it, but I proved them all wrong.

Just because someone orders you to do something, doesn't mean you have to listen to them. What do they know? What if they are wrong? You can choose what to do. Listen to their word and forever wonder what would have happened if you had done what you wanted, or take the chance."

She would never understand.

"What is your dream or goal for the future, Hyuga Neji?"

He didn't want to keep this going, He didn't want to hear her tell him he was wrong. But his damn mouth moved without his permission again!

Her response to his answer was simply astounding. And it also proved that the Main Branch was full of women who couldn't keep their mouths shut.

"Right there, you are already attempting to defy your 'fate'. You were marked with that stupid seal, like every other Cadet Branch member was. Technically, that seal is supposed to be a mark to you and everyone who sees it, that you are a mere Cadet Branch member and that you will never be good enough to be better than a Main Branch member. That you are fated to serve for the rest of your days. But you want to prove the preconceived notions over the Main Branch wrong, by becoming better. In other words, you are fighting your supposed fate."

She didn't understand and she admitted to not knowing the personal feeling of being enslaved to her own family. Even when he told her the consequences of disobedience, she simply shrugged it off!

She knew more about the seal than an outsider should ever know. She told him as much. And yet he still tried to make her see the severity of it all.

She then admonished him for his attitude against his pathetic cousin! It was her fault! He knew it was and he refused to believe otherwise.

She left him then, with so many questions about himself and his ' _family'_.

* * *

Their next meeting was over quickly. She easily defeated him again. How was she so good? She even told him over how she had to work so hard to get to where she was. She had to have been destined to be a good kunoichi, otherwise she'd never be able to make such a turn around in her life.

* * *

Neji stared at his uncle. Never in his life was he expecting this to happen. Never had he thought that he'd be free!

When his uncle actually decided to grace the Cadet Branch's Compound with his presence, Neji had gone through four cycles of breathing exercises to get himself calm enough to be respectful.

The man personally called him into the audience chamber and proceeded to drop the biggest news in Neji's life.

He was repealing the use of the Hyuga Soke no Juinjutsu!

Neji remembered uttering only one word.

"Why?"

His uncle sighed.

"A young lady managed to trick her way into the Main Compound and into an audience with me. She masterfully played her way through the guards and convinced them with little words that she was a teammate of yours - without actually stating so - and saying that she had been worried about your attitude as of late. I had decided to give her a moment to speak because I wanted to make sure that you hadn't been a poor example of the clan."

Neji nearly flinched at the steel in his uncle's tone. "Her following words bought a great shock to me. And a truth was revealed."

His uncle held up a book. It was a Bingo Book.

"This man is rumored to have a Byakugan that he retrieved from fallen Hyuga warrior over the years. This young lady pointed out how useless the Juinjutsu was and how it didn't matter because someone could simply rip a Byakugan out while a Hyuga is alive. She then told me why people respected the Uchiha more, simply because they didn't enslave half of their family.

I was shocked at her knowledge and she simply shrugged and told me that the women of the clan are too loquacious."

That rang a bell. And suddenly, he knew who it was that spoke to his uncle.

"I see you know who this young lady was."

"Yes. I met her while still in my last year at the Academy. She was training in Training Ground Three and I allowed myself to assume. She easily defeated me and tried to prove me wrong. She stated things that I didn't want to believe, but perhaps…"

He looked down and then straight at his uncle. "Why did my father have to die?"

The following answer was simply too much in one evening. Neji faintly remembered swaying a bit and then hitting the floor.

When he awoke, his seal was gone, as were the seals on every other Cadet Branch member. He marveled at the bare skin of his forehead as he thought about his father, who had taken his own destiny in his hands and defied his fate.

* * *

He found her a few days later, eating in the dago shop near Mebuki Plaza.

He couldn't help himself, but he did it. And he liked it too.

Not the ideal place for a kiss, especially since everyone seemed to want them to go further, but it was nice nonetheless. He then proceeded to thank her for what she had done.

And when he learned that she lived alone with two boys, he felt… annoyed. And possessive. He didn't like the fact that the Uchiha was so close to her on a daily basis.

But she seemed happy.

* * *

Their meetings over the next year, were simply astounding. She defeated him at every turn. And then he learned that her sensei had completely decided to do advanced training with her and her team, he'd been worried.

And for no true reason. She and her friends were amazing.

She only ever briefly described their missions or training schedules, but he could tell, she was good.

And then her teammate mentioned a harem! She wanted a harem. She wanted _him_ to be in the harem.

Why did he have to like the girl that wanted a harem full of men at her disposal?

In the Chunin Exams, Team Seven displayed amazing talent and skill. The whole team made it to the finals of the Exams, winning their matches within seconds of them starting. Truly, they were Chunin level.

And then they all found out that she was like Lee. And she took Neji's food and kissed him too.

Neji sighed. Mizumi Hikari was an anomaly.

And he was absolutely besotted.

**(Songs I listened to on a loop while writing this piece…** _**A Little Less Conversation** _ **\- Elvis Presley.** _**Promiscuous** _ **\- Nelly Furtado.** _**Like Whoa** _ **\- Aly and AJ.** _**Bounce** _ **\- Sarah Connor.** _**Outta Control** _ **\- 50 Cent.** _**It's Tricky** _ **\- RUN-DMC.)**

* * *

**Omake Naruto: Life Get's Better! -ttebayo!**

Uzumaki Naruto was a prankster. He also didn't really have friends. He had people he was okay with, but it wasn't like they hung out all the time.

He was going through life like normal. And then another year in the Academy, where he was probably going to fail again, because that stupid Bunshin wouldn't let him create one of his own!

Iruka-sensei smiled at the class as he introduced a new student, which was rare. The last time someone started late in the Academy suddenly, was actually when Naruto himself had been skipped to his last year at the beginning of his third year in the Academy.

He'd had most of the necessary skills to graduate, but that stupid Bunshin wouldn't work and he failed three times. Though it made him feel better to know that most of the class failed as well, only a few managing to continue on to teams. He was never told why he saw most of the students back in the class. He just assumed that maybe they needed more training before starting out as ninja.

The new student was an orphan too. And she had to be the most lucky person the world. Her story seemed so unreal, but from the way she stood and how she demonstrated herself later on in their various classes, he knew that she wasn't all talk.

She beat Sasuke! It was the first time Naruto had seen the teme lose at anything. And the teme practically stalked her all day after that! Naruto had thought that maybe he'd challenge her again, but that was not the case. He simply watched, which was a bit creepy.

She went on like that for a week, not really connecting with anyone in the class, though she was nice to Hinata. She continued to beat teme - and everyone else - in their Taijutsu class.

She was awesome though! She tried to help Naruto every time they 'fought'. Technically, it was just her making sure he was standing in the correct formation for whatever move they working that day. She didn't stop either. Naruto never had anyone to spend so much time on him befor. Iruka-sensei had a life and several other students to work with. He didn't have all the time in the world to watch over Naruto's training.

The fact that someone cared enough to help him so much made him a little emotional.

Naruto actually liked going to class, because he knew that Hikari would be there and he knew that he would actually learn something that day.

And then she approached him for lunch at Ichiraku's and the rest was history.

They spent their lunch together every day and she paid every other day. It was like heaven and it made him happy to actually have someone that listened when he talked about becoming Hokage and who gave him instruction on how to better himself at the shinobi arts. She didn't call him a monster or glare at him like most others did.

And then came the day where she finally asked about him. She'd waited about a month before dropping the question and he had been reluctant to answer it because he didn't know how she'd handle the news.

Not well.

She actually dragged him all over the village and wrote down what he said. She then threatened Jiji! She looked the Hokage dead in the eye and demanded that the injustice against Naruto be taken care of! She then asked if he could live in her big house with her!

It was awesome to be living in a house that the villagers couldn't vandalize or charge him for! He got to keep his stipend and use it for _actual_ things. And Hikari helped him with his shopping! Though he did feel a little stupid for not thinking of it sooner. Still, it was amazing!

She told him about his mother and showed him the file and even copied it!

Naruto stayed up late into the night, reading everything he could find about Uzumaki Kushina, grand niece to the Shodaime Hokage's wife. He was so glad to see how much they had in common. Their love for ramen, especially the ramen from Ichiraku's. Their eye and face shape. Their large amounts of chakra was a trait of their clan. He had hoped he'd be able to utilize her chakra chain ability at some point in the future. It's be so cool to use it!

Hikari then taught him the most awesome jutsu ever! The Kage Bunshin was like his ace in the hole, sort of. He could study many books at once, without having to personally do it himself. They also helped his concentration training for chakra control.

Because he was an Uzumaki, he'd never be so good at controlling his chakra, but his control was good enough to Tree Fight and Water Battle, as Hikari had called them. So long as he could stick to both surfaces, he was fine.

And then the teme challenged him and though Naruto had lost, he'd been able to finally hold out again the Uchiha for nearly ten minutes, before tripping up and being slammed down.

And the teme proved to not be so much of a teme but complimenting him! He'd never thought he'd see the day! But true enough, the teme complimented him and then _admitted_ that he had been stuck at the same level of power for a year and didn't know what to do to get stronger.

Hikari was like a hero as she swept in and pretty much forced the Uchiha into their training regimen.

And she broke some truths to both of them and Naruto was able to fully understand the teme more.

He now knew why he was a teme.

Naruto never had family and didn't know what it would be like to find your brother had murdered several hundred people. And then he decided to leave you alive, to stew over the fact that your family was dead and that you weren't good enough to kill in the end.

No wonder the once happy looking child that Naruto had always seen while passing by, had turned into such a cold individual.

At the same time, Naruto was finally able to understand why he was so hated by the villagers. And he really couldn't find it in himself to blame them. They were civilians. Most of them at least. They didn't understand shinobi matters. Though the ninja hadn't been so better, they just glared at him for being the reason the Yondaime died, not because they thought he was the demon fox. Most at least.

And then Hikari made demands of the Hokage again! She was fearless!

And then teme joined their lives permanently and they planned on getting into the same team when they graduated.

Hikari did not let up. She hunted down training techniques for them. She made them go through things that Chunin were supposed to do. She managed to get them on training their Elemental Affinities, which was even _Jonin_ training.

Teme obviously did well. He was good like that and his Sharingan helped him cheat. It was totally cheating. Though Naruto felt that his use of Kage Bunshin was also cheating. But to each his own.

Hikari had the hardest time out of them, but she simply worked harder. She had a bit over them by knowing the chakra control exercises, therefore giving herself more time to work on her elements. Her great chakra control allowed her a bit of an easier time in training.

She trained harder than anyone he'd ever seen. And when she dumped the weight training on them, he had bucked in wariness. She was packing like a thousand extra pounds already! And she added so much every month. She expected them to do it too!

Naruto and Sasuke merely agreed to add twenty pounds a month. They didn't need super speed like Hikari seemed to want for whatever reason. They wanted more jutsu to do. More teamwork attacks would be awesome too.

And then came the bad news. Poor Hikari was experimented on when she was a baby and was only one of the two who survived out of the sixty something children that had been used in the same experiment.

She could do cool things with wood, but it was the fact that she had been removed from her family and been used, that was so bad. And she held her head high the whole time, but Naruto could tell she was worried about it. She didn't like it, even if it made her more powerful.

Still, she stuck it out and trained with the other wood user. Even when she came home with a broken arm, she kept on smiling and training with her good arm. She only went to the hospital when it got bad. She still fought hard.

And then came the graduation and they all passed, surely to be on the same team. And then Mizuki proved to be more of a teme than Sasuke and thought he was so amazing at 'tricking the demon' into stealing the Scroll of Seals.

And Hikari had them take that chance to copy it. That was how he learned the explosive Bunshin technique, which was awesome!

When they each reached a certain level, they'd be able to study the higher ranked jutsu on the list. Until then, they had to work with what they had once they got their own Jonin sensei.

And Kakashi was the oddest person in the world. And he read the same books Jiji did! Naruto had to get his hands on one of those because he wanted to know what was so entrancing about them. He was never one for reading though.

The most memorable thing of the day they became a team, wasn't meeting Kakashi or learning of his illustrious history.

It was the fact that Hikari had made he and teme kiss. And the problem was, Naruto had kind of liked it. Teme was still a teme of course, but even though he wasn't trying, it had been pretty good once Naruto thought it over. At the time he was grossed out at the prospect, but after delving deep into himself, he felt that he didn't care if he was with a boy or girl so long as they cared about him. Naruto just wanted to be loved.

So while Hikari's comments about he and teme were a bit annoying, he let her get away with it. In the long run, she'd helped him figure out his sexuality, so he really wasn't all that bothered.

And he wasn't interested in the teme. Teme had it bad for Hikari. And it was a bit sad because Hikari stated very clearly for everyone on their team to hear, that she wanted a harem and even gave the stipulations for it and everything. Teme met most to them and yet she didn't make any sort of move on him.

Naruto didn't know how to be supportive in the situation, so he simply sat back, allowing the teme to control himself whenever Hikari was oblivious.

Naruto had asked Sasuke why he hated the Hyuga guy Hikari had chosen for her harem and he explained the long history of grievances between the Hyugas and the Uchihas. The battle over who had the better Dojutsu and all that.

Naruto thought it was a stupid reason to hate someone and decide that it must be because Sasuke was jealous that the Hyuga guy got to kiss Hikari. That made more sense to him at least.

And their team was the most awesome team in the world! With his friends he was definitely going to get stronger and become Hokage like he always wanted! Hikari was like a hero! She always seemed to know what to do to make everything work out. It was great, especially on missions where her knowledge always helped them get by without trouble.

Their C-Rank Missions helped advance Naruto's various skills in information extraction(torture) and infiltration. And neither of his teammates looked at him oddly when he got a little overzealous.

They also supported his wearing of female clothing. He tended to Henge into his female form - Shina Kumaki - and walk around in his free time. He liked it, for whatever reason, he just really did.

Kakashi was pretty cool, though he had a bad habit of being late. Teme was nicer. Hikari seemed to be the true leader. And Naruto was there to have fun and make everybody smile.

And they all worked so well together! It was fun to be on Team Seven. Naruto had even paid off Kakashi to take pics of them when they weren't looking. Spontaneous pictures were always the best. Less fake. Naruto was secretly creating a photo album for Team Seven. There were a lot of good memories too.

Naruto got to learn a jutsu that the Yondaime made and by doing it quickly, the world's best medical ninja came back to the village. He'd been a little miffed that Hikari was willing to make bets on his skills without telling him the severity of his possible failure. But he also felt good to know that she had absolute faith in him to learn the move so fast.

And she made sure the teme got to learn an equally good jutsu. But she didn't ask for one herself. He didn't understand why she felt that her experiment given ability made them even, because it was just a Kekkei Genkai like the Sharingan. It was also like a power up, like the Kyubi would be if Naruto ever learned to draw on its chakra. It was a part of her.

She was pretty selfless, which was rare in the ninja world.

And she even went out of her way to help someone she hadn't liked all that much in the Academy. She left once a week to meet up with Sakura and always came back smiling. Teme didn't believe her when she said that Sakura had gotten better, but Hikari didn't rise to his baiting. She simply said Sakura would prove herself later.

Kakashi nominated them for the Chunin Exams, which was awesome! They were finally going to get the chance to advance to the rank they should be at!

But it was not as great as he thought it would be. Sasuke was in danger and Hikari was willing to reveal her Mokuton just to protect him. They had to be even closer together than normal. And Sasuke accepted their help instead of pushing them away. He'd really grown up thanks to Hikari.

They faced one of the most dangerous ninja to ever come from Konoha. And lived.

Though Naruto had blacked out a bit.

He just remembered pain and feeling really angry. And then this deep voice promising him power and revenge on his attacker. He'd accepted it.

" **Yes, just let me give you the power you'll need. Make him suffer.** "

Naruto vaguely realized he was nodding. Even as this burning feeling covered his body, he leaned toward the voice. He didn't want to die. He didn't want his friends to be hurt by this bad man. He needed to do something to help.

" **That's it.** "

He could feel it. It was filling him with this warmth that just him feel stronger. His eyes snapped open, clearing instantly. He could see every detail in the air around him. The dust motes surrounding him. The dust that had kicked up around him from his harsh landing. The individual grains in the trees around him.

The world was tinged in red. He didn't find it too odd.

His vision locked into a figure in the distance and he growled in anger. He was the enemy. He needed to die!

He charged with roar of anger and was satisfied when his attacked landed right in the man's face.

The cretin smiled!

" **Make him pay. Make him take you seriously,** " the dark voice in his ear, whispered.

Naruto roared again, making the very ground shake.

Just as he was preparing to attack again, someone charged into the clearing and took his prey from him!

His anger rose, before something cold touched him.

Drawing away from him, taking the warmth with it.

" **No! Stop it!** "

The warmth was gone and so was Naruto's raging anger. He felt tired.

He allowed himself to be pulled under, the dark voice expressing it's anger for only him to hear.

" **You were weak.** "

When Naruto awoke, he could only remember snippets of what happened and was relieved to hear from Hikari that he hadn't hurt anyone but Orochimaru. He chose not to ruminate on the voice until later.

They moved on to their preliminary matches, with Sasuke clinging to Hikari like she was a lifeline. Naruto couldn't help but snicker at him all the time. He was so possessive and she didn't see it at all! The poor guy's ego was taking a beating.

Team Seven made it to the Third Exam and Kakashi actually decided to pay for them to go somewhere! It was going to rain cats and dogs.

The best part of the night, was when Hikari got drunk and finally kissed the teme. Of course she ran off to the Hyuga guy soon after and they all had to work together to pin her down.

Her parting words before collapsing, left Sasuke in a mood.

He wanted to be the only one she wanted and she hadn't noticed.

Naruto had placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Maybe she'll notice later."

"I couldn't care less," the Uchiha huffed.

He cared.

Very much.

**(Songs I listened to on a loop while writing this piece…** _**Applause** _ **\- Lady Gaga.** _**Jenny From the Block** _ **\- JLo.** _**Do It To It** _ **\- Cherish.** _**Dirrty** _ **\- Christina Aguilera.** _**Bye Bye Bye** _ **\- N Sync.** _**Drop It Like It's Hot** _ **\- Snoop Dogg.** _**The Fox** _ **\- Ylvis.- I found that convenient. ;) )**

* * *

**Omake Sasuke: Strength in Numbers.**

He was weak. He knew it. Why else would he be the same no matter what he did? he tried, he really did, but there was no way for him to advance. And he didn't know what to do.

He could do his clan's basic Katon jutsu, but he didn't understand enough in order to learn the higher ranked jutsus. There was no one around who could teach him how to use them, so he was stuck waiting for his Sharingan to develop. If it ever did.

He had once been part of a large clan, when his big brother decided to kill everyone. He and his brother were the only ones left and his brother was a criminal on the run. Sasuke was left behind with all these ridiculous rules and expectations placed on him.

He was heir of the clan and would be Head once he reached Chunin status. The only one left. The 'last Uchiha' according to people. The villagers pretty much gave him what he wanted without him having to ask. They simpered after him and the women tried pushing their daughters on him.

He would have repopulate his clan. That meant having a lot of children and unfortunately, this put him in a tight place. The village council supported the Clan Restoration Act. If Sasuke didn't have a child by a certain age, they'd assign him five women of their own choosing.

So not only did he have to get stronger in order to avenge his family, he had to have a brood of brats as well.

And he _wasn't advancing_. He was stuck in the same place. Still weak and nowhere near Itachi's level.

The Academy was a joke. He could already do the requirements, so why was he still being held back? No one in the class could keep up with him. He had the best grades in everything but Attitude. He didn't have friends and perpetually walked around glaring at people. Who was he supposed to befriend? The idiot fan-girls who didn't seem him for who he was? The children who were the heirs and heiresses of their own clans?

One was scared of her own shadow. Another was too lazy and spent time with another who ate too much. Neither were interested in fighting and usually copped out in Taijutsu Class. The Aburame was a pretty average fighter and the Inuzuka reeked of dogs and was too loud for his own good.

The last person of interest would be the dobe.

Uzumaki Naruto was an orphan and was the very last in the class. No one knew much about him except that his parents died the day of the Kyubi's attack, he liked ramen, he could prank anyone and only let himself get caught by their sensei, Iruka, and that he was somehow on good terms with the Hokage despite it all.

The dobe was loud and many would assume that his shenanigans were what made him a dobe, but Sasuke could see things others didn't. He'd seen the dobe training. Training until his fists were bleeding. Until his wrappings were dyed red in his own blood.

Sasuke knew that the blonde had no interest in reading and was frequently sent form the classroom whenever they were going to learn something new. Sasuke had to wonder how the dobe managed to do anything when he missed so many lessons.

And his Taijutsu was terrible. He couldn't stand right. He probably couldn't even read. Though he was literally the lesser of all evils in Sasuke's possibility of choosing a friend, he couldn't have someone who would pull him down. And Uzumaki Naruto would not help him succeed. He was sure of it.

His last year in the Academy came and something new finally happened.

They had a new student, so late in their education.

When he saw that it was a girl, he was very wary. So far, he'd only met one girl around his age who wasn't reduced to a puddle of incoherence. But _this_ girl… she looked severe.

She was pale like he was, with hair blacker than his own. It didn't have any highlights either, pure darkness. Her eyes much the same. Darker than midnight. She wore all black. A belly shirt over a mesh shirt. Black leggings under a black pleated skirt. Her sandals were black as well.

Her story and advice to the class were unbelievable. She defeated a Jonin because he was a fool. It was true that assuming could get you killed in the ninja world. Technically, all she did was stab him with his own weapons until he died.

He'd been skeptical of her and decided to wait before passing judgement. She'd been told to sit beside him, but she didn't stare at him. Or look in his direction at all. He felt a little miffed at that. Perhaps she didn't know who he was though.

Iruka-sensei had them revise for their first block. The second was outside for Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu training.

That was where Mizumi Hikari proved herself to be different.

She defeated everyone of her opponents easily. Iruka-sensei had noticed this and asked her if she wished to fight the boys. She agreed and proceeded to pick them off one by one, finally ending with Sasuke, whom she also defeated easily. Her speed was unreal for someone who hadn't even become a ninja yet.

And she didn't rub her victory in anyone's face. It was shocking because usually when people won, they didn't hesitate to let everyone know about it. She simply nodded to Iruka-sensei and went on about her business.

Weeks went by and everyone noticed the dobe was getting better in class. Who was responsible for this turnaround? Mizumi Hikari. And then the dobe began wearing new clothing, thankfully getting rid of that horrid orange jumpsuit he had always wore. His clothing was a lot better and less offensive to the eyes.

The biggest thing, was the red swirl on the back of his clothes. The same style those in clans would do, for people to know that they were clan children and to be respected.

It had given rise to many questions that Hikari decided to answer, shocking everyone.

She proceeded to lecture the class on the Uzumaki Clan. None of them had ever heard of it before and the revelation of it was shocking. They should have known of it, because the ninja of their own village wore the symbol of the Uzumaki Clan and the village the clan ruled, Uzushiogakure, on their uniforms.

Also the fact that the Shodaime Hokage had married an Uzumaki, who was great aunt to the dobe's mother, meant that Naruto was related to all the children and grandchildren of the Shodaime.

****{Check first note again.}**

The dobe was the last in a clan. His clan's entire village had been destroyed in one night and the boy never even knew about it. No one ever told him. And he saw the reaction the dobe had to the news. It was exactly how Sasuke felt when thinking of his clan. And at least Sasuke knew his clan.

The blonde was silent for the rest of the day.

The next morning he came in with bright red hair.

He heard Hikari mention that his mother had red hair and he wanted to be closer to her in a sense. Sasuke could understand that. He resembled his mother very much. Even down to the bluish highlights in his hair. He could understand the longing to connect yourself with someone you missed or wished you knew.

From that day forward, Uzumaki Naruto changed. He was still bubbly and happy and smiled all the time, but he wasn't so brash, he thought things through and he even began to do well in his class work! It was a huge feat that many had expressed wonder at. Had he been faking the whole time? Or did his time with Hikari really change him that much? What sort of studying and training did they both go through to do so well?

Sasuke himself had to find out. He had to know how the dobe managed to leap from dead last to the middle of class grading in a mere few months. He needed to know how to get stronger and he had a strong feeling that Hikari and the dobe were the ones to go to for assistance.

So he did.

The dobe had definitely gotten better! He actually gave Sasuke a challenge! It had been so long since he had to fight more than a few seconds. Hikari didn't count because she defeated everyone within seconds and no one was ever able to land a hit on her. She simply slammed everybody down and left it at that.

But with Naruto, Sasuke actually worked up a sweat against the dobe, making note of how well he had done. How his stances were better and how his formations and techniques were severely improved. It was enlightening and inspiring all at once. It also proved his assumption about Hikari to be correct. She was indeed the person to go to. And he didn't feel an ounce of embarrassment in asking for her help. She was the best in their class.

She did not mock his need to grow stronger, Instead, she immediately added him into her training with the dobe. She tweaked a few things to better assist him and he could tell, he was getting stronger. If he kept on this path, he'd defeat Itachi in no time.

He and Naruto were able to come to an understanding of sorts. They both finally knew about each other's histories, which had ended in shock.

Hikari had an ability that she proved to be true. And she proved it over and over, always being right just when they thought she wouldn't pull through.

Sasuke already had his Sharingan. If he had known that he had it earlier, he would have been able to start his training earlier and wouldn't be so weak. But at least it was caught then, so he had half a year before graduating to train. Seeing what she had done for Naruto, he'd say that a lot could be done in that time frame.

Naruto was hated by nearly the entire village, save for a choice few. The Yondaime hadn't killed the Kyubi like everyone had been told. Naruto had been cursed with the job of keeping it locked up. But the idiotic civilians couldn't seem to understand that and they tormented him.

Sasuke had to wonder how the hell the dobe managed to be so happy all the time. If he had been the one being treated like that, he'd hate the village. He already wasn't a fan of the people in the village simply because they acted like he was the best thing to ever be born. It wasn't like he had strong ties in the village or anything. And he found himself resenting them for their treatment of Naruto. He wasn't like the redhead. He couldn't just brush it off and he didn't really want to.

It was during their talk that Hikari learned of where he lived. He'd never seen a girl get angry so quickly. He would only ever admit it to himself, but she was terrifying as she stomped away, screaming that she'd _make_ the Hokage let Sasuke live with her and the dobe.

And she did it!

Sasuke's life was so much better.

Life was progressing and he was getting stronger. Stronger in order to kill _him_.

And then Hikari dropped a large explosive on he and the dobe. Itachi might not have actually killed the clan because he was testing his mettle. He may have been forced into it.

Sasuke hadn't wanted to believe it. He didn't want to think of the person who put him through such a horrible Genjutsu, in a good way. But Hikari hadn't been wrong. In their entire time together, she was always correct. So if she indeed was correct, then Sasuke would have a new goal.

Until the full truth was revealed, he would train to kill either of them. He didn't care, so long as he got his revenge in the end.

And Naruto and Hikari vowed to help him. In blood. He would only do so when deeply sequestered into his own space, but he thought of them as his friends. They were allies of the Uchiha Clan. They were _his_.

Everything would have stayed simple, except for Hikari being revealed to be an experiment. Someone had literally taken her when she was no older than one and experimented with her DNA, adding the Shodaime's blood and cells to her body. And she was only the second to survive out of sixty children. Luckily for her, the enemy did even know she was alive.

She had taken it pretty well, but he knew she wasn't so brave about it. He knew that she was scared of the person finding out and coming after her. But she sucked it all up and trained with her assigned sensei. She didn't complain and just went through the motions like normal.

Sasuke and Naruto didn't pressure her about talking about her feelings. She never did it to them. She was understanding and they could at least afford her the same generosity in return.

Passing the Genin Exam and becoming a team went off without a hitch. Hikari was right. Again.

Their sensei… was something else. She even handed them his Bingo Book page later on in the evening to verify what she had said. He was a threat. And yet his entire demeanor didn't seem so.

It was a masterful act. By coming off as lazy, boring, and all over unassuming, he would normally have their guard down. They'd simply pass over him without a second glance. It was an attitude like that that made him a good ninja, according to Hikari. Masks were all part of the shinobi profession and Hatake Kakashi had perfected wearing them, in more than one way.

When they surprised him by actually getting the bells and becoming a team, Sasuke had felt good. He'd be able to get training from a Sharingan user. Finally, someone who could help him beyond simply copying jutsu.

And then they were evaluated and well… he wasn't expecting to be abandoned in the deadliest training ground in Konoha and told to fight to survive for a week. But Kakashi decided that that was the best course of action to take for his team. Seriously, if Hikari wasn't there, he and Naruto would most likely be dead. She knew everything about anything that had to do with the forest.

Though it was a little flattering that Kakashi thought them good enough to give them Chunin training, he was a little miffed.

With that sort of training over with, their team proceeded to do missions, luckily not having to do many boring ones. They traveled to all sorts of places on their C-Ranks. Kirigakure and Takigakure being two of the places.

And both times, their missions went above the standard for C-Ranked missions. They had to be the only Genin team in history to go on A-Rank missions.

And Hikari managed to manipulate Kakashi into teaching he and Naruto some high ranked jutsus. In return, Sasuke knew that her other sensei, Tenzo, had upped her Mokuton training. She was learning specific maneuvers that fit her style best.

When they learned of their entries in the Bingo Book, Hikari cracked down on them. Hard. She began throwing ideas of various jutsu to create, in their faces and made them practice constantly. She personally dedicated herself to creating poisons, in order to contribute to their cause.

And then the dobe did something terrifying. He blew up the training ground by adding his wind nature to his Rasengan. It was simply put… amazing.

And then Hikari had to go and decide to associate with the Pink Menace. Only Naruto knew that he referred to Sakura like that. Hikari seemed to be a bit overprotective and he didn't fancy getting yelled at for it. But really, it wasn't like she didn't deserve it. It was her fault after all.

The real problem in Sasuke's life as of late, was his growing attraction to Hikari.

That was a problem, because she was unlike anyone he'd ever met. She didn't fawn over him. She also proudly proclaimed her want for a harem… and didn't even consider him for a position in it. He fit the requirements and yet she hadn't glanced his way once. But she was completely okay with the _Hyuga_! There were so many things wrong in that and he hated it.

And then she went and kissed some random Suna ninja! She felt no remorse for it either and just smiled the whole time. Smiled!

Sasuke tried his best to burn holes into the redhead's body when Hikari had flashed away. She left them alone, with potential enemies. Sasuke wanted to burn the redhead to death.

"Teme, let it go."

He didn't move. Not even when the dobe nudged his arm. He was seriously feeling murderous toward the Suna shinobi.

Teal eyes stared at him evenly. No fear or worry. He simply looked bored. Bored! Like he wasn't looking a pissed off Uchiha in the eye.

"Hikari won't be happy if you attempt to kill him. Especially if he's... _one of her chosen_."

That was not good. Naruto had to literally pull him off to a training ground and challenge him to a spar in order to calm him down.

Not even a day later, he caught her with the Hyuga. So he devised a plan and carried it out, only to have it all blow up in face. He thought he Hyuga would be disgusted at the thought of a harem and yet the idiot just stood there, staring at Hikari and blushing at her. _Blushing_!

He was not jealous. He was just annoyed because he didn't want her to have a harem. The Hyuga and that Suna shinobi certainly did not deserve her attention.

Naruto didn't understand. He thought Sasuke was smitten and just was chasing off competition, but Sasuke did not have competition. He never had competition when it came to getting someone's attention.

At least… until he met Hikari.

He glared at everyone and everything for the next few days. Naruto was too busy snickering at him.

He was perfectly willing to glare - not pout, Uchihas didn't pout - at Hikari, until she dropped some bad information on them.

The man who had experimented on her was after Sasuke's Sharingan. They were most likely going to be ambushed in the Shi no Mori.

Team Seven unanimously agreed that if they couldn't get away in time, they'd fight and have Naruto - since he had the most chakra and could afford to waste it on the danger call - send out a strong chakra signal to get the attention of everyone within the village if possible.

The man, Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin, toyed with them. Sasuke had never been so pissed at himself before. He never fought Itachi. He had run away like a coward when he was younger. But he had tried his best against this _monster_ and yet nothing he or his teammates did, had any affect on the man.

And then he finally saw the monster that resided within Naruto. Sasuke had very seldom felt such fear, but that chakra was simply dark. It was choking him and making it difficult to breathe.

He caught the red eyes of his friend, only for an eighth of a second, but it was enough. He saw it. Inside of Naruto. Big, orangish/red in appearance, with large fangs protruding from a widening mouth. It sat behind red bars, nine individual tails moving behind it. It's hands - yes, the fox had hands - were wrapped around the bars. It was pushing itself as close to the open spaces as possible, looking at the figure laying before it.

Naruto.

He was unconscious in front of the large cage, and an orange substance leaked out from the spaces between the bars, crawling over his body and bubbling loudly.

That split moment in time was enough to freeze the Uchiha in place. He wasn't able to move until Naruto's once more blue eyes closed and he reeled back in shock.

He'd just seen the Kyubi no Yoko somehow.

Hikari was able to jerk him out of his stunned silence. He got his feet moving. They traveled fast toward the tower and Sasuke used the time to come to terms with this new knowledge.

He'd have to work even harder than before, in order to protect Naruto from the thing inside him. He didn't want Naruto to have to lose it again. Hikari had already started her training on how to subdue the Kyubi and Sasuke had to learn how to do it too.

The only good thing that came out of the event, was that he got to hold Hikari for an entire evening.

And he pretty much stuck to her for the remainder of the week, with Naruto in the background sniggering the whole time. But it was worth it. And Hikari was woefully ignorant of it all.

After ensuring Team Seven a place in the Third Exam, Kakashi actually took them out. And he paid for it too.

Actually… they all paid for it in the end.

Hikari was to never have alcohol when she was angry. When she was happy was fine, because Sasuke finally got what he'd been thinking of for the last month. Of course then she had to be removed and shown someone else.

If she ever drank again, he'd have to make sure that he was the only person around because her going from him to the _Hyuga_ was just not right.

He got to hold her back though, so maybe it wasn't all so bad.

Except her parting words to the Hyuga. Those were _not_ alright.

He'd have to get her disinterested in having a harem.

Who better than Hikari to be his future wife? She was a friend, she was strong, and she - though he wouldn't tell anyone except perhaps Naruto - made him laugh.

When Sasuke Uchiha put his mind to something, it got done.

Definitely.

**(Songs I listened to on a loop while writing this piece…** _**Can't Get You Out of My Head** _ **\- Kylie Minogue.** _**She Wolf** _ **\- Shakira.** _**All Night** _ **\- Parov Stelar.** _**Love Shack** _ **\- B-52's.** _**Get Busy** _ **\- Sean Paul.** _**Upgrade U** _ **\- Beyonce.- I also found that convenient. ;) )**

* * *

**Omake Kakashi: Caring Once More.**

Hatake Kakashi had a very depressing life. As far as being a shinobi, he may have had it a bit harder than most. And he may have let his depression over it consume him for a while.

His father had committed suicide when he was young. Kakashi had only been a Chunin at the time, but he was still a child. It had hurt. Even though he was strangely duty oriented, and his father had committed a taboo by ignoring orders and was therefore looked upon as a traitor by everyone - even his own son - Kakashi wasn't ready for the loss.

And the person to come into his life and change his loneliness was Minato-sensei. For years, he spent time with his sensei, learning everything he could. And then sensei got married to Kushina-nee. She was pretty awesome too. And both were amazing shinobi in their own rights.

And then came the other two members of their team.

Nohara Rin. Fan-girl, but had the ability to switch it off in order to do her job. Medical ninja with above average skill. Kind hearted and sometimes too soft for the battlefield.

Uchiha Obito. Annoying, boisterous, failure of the Uchiha Clan. Not much talent in the shinobi arts. Above average ability in the few Katon Jutsu he knew andsome Shurikenjutsu, able to incorporate fire into his weapons. Other than that, he wasn't much to remember.

Kakashi was very strict in his younger years. He followed the rules of shinobi etiquette. And Uchiha Obito, didn't. It was aggravating and all those excuses he always made when he was late… to everything. Couldn't he at least come up with better reasons for being late? Who would believe him?

They did missions, they trained, Obito was always late. It was a routine for them.

And then came that day.

It had been another mission, They were sent off on their own, with Kakashi heading them, to destroy a bridge. Rin had been kidnapped. Kakashi was all for going on with the mission and leaving her, but Obito wasn't. They had a falling out and Obito defied the rules and left the mission, all the while putting Kakashi in his place.

It had been an eye opener, from Obito of all people. And Kakashi went after him and saved him from an enemy shinobi, losing his one eye in the process.

Kakashi had been promoted to Jonin before they took on the mission and he knew that he could ignore such a disability in favor of helping Obito. And they did it. At the cost of Obito. Kakashi couldn't move the boulder that crushed the Chunin. Rin wasn't strong enough to accomplish it and so they stayed by Obito's side, even as he was dying.

Obito offered Kakashi is newly unlocked Sharingan, from the one eye that hadn't been crushed. An apology for missing out of giving Kakashi a congratulatory gift for moving up in rank. Kakashi had Rin do the transplant and unfortunately, they had to leave Obito behind.

Ever since then, Kakashi made it a point to change. Because Obito died saving him. Even though he was an ass. Even though he completely shamed the other boy and insulted his dream of becoming Hokage. After all that, Obito was still willing to sacrifice himself for Kakashi.

Life went on. Obito's sacrifice led to Kakashi perfecting his one and only original jutsu. It was also Obito who made Kakashi so world famous as a ninja. Without the Sharingan, Kakashi was certain that he wouldn't be half as accomplished.

And just when Kakashi was getting over Obito, Rin had to die. By Kakashi's own hand. He didn't do it willingly. She had literally thrown herself in between himself and an enemy shinobi in order to stop an eventual crisis that would have occurred had she been brought back to Konoha.

And yet Kakashi was to deal with that too.

If it wasn't bad enough, that Kakashi's team seemed to be dying slowly, the rest was completely eradicated in one night.

The Kyubi had somehow attacked Konoha. Sensei - who had been promoted to Yondaime - and Kushina-nee were taken away abruptly, leaving Kakashi alone.

It just seemed that everyone Kakashi ever cared for, died. He'd seriously begun to wonder if maybe it was something to do with him.

So he returned to his Anbu duties. Over the years he did some things he wasn't proud of. He had truly believed they were for the good of the village, and therefore the Sandaime had been lenient in his punishments. Especially since Danzo was a master manipulator and knew just the right words to say.

Kakashi took on missions. Dangerous ones. The kind that people usually didn't come back from.

In the beginning, he went on these missions with a teammate, but that proved fatal to anyone with him and finally he reached a level where he could go on his own. It was simply better. No more teammates that could die on him then.

Of course Psyche Division had to label him as 'Mentally and Emotionally Unstable'. This was followed by being assigned a side mission for his everyday life. _Mission: Find a Hobby._

He found one and a lot of people looked down on him for it, but it was his hobby and in a way, it had been training in the beginning. To focus a certain percentage of his attention on a book while still being able to do normal, day-to-day activities, could be a challenge. He learned quickly to not walk into walls and poles. People usually got out of his way, but he became mindful of them soon enough.

His amount of suicide missions was significantly lowered, leaving him with more time to himself. To his own mind. He ended up using this time to spend more time at the Memorial Stone, talking to his dead teammates. Talking to his family.

And then the Sandaime got the brilliant idea to give him a Genin team. And Kakashi failed that team easily. He wasn't doing it to be a prick, he had requirements they needed to pass and none of them did.

Obito had been stern.

' _ **Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash!'**_

Kakashi took that to heart and because of it, he failed all eight Genin teams he'd ever been assigned.

So easily pushed into abandoning each other over a simple bell. If push came to shove, they'd throw each other into the lion's den to save themselves, and that was not the Konoha way.

So when the Hokage assigned him _another_ _team_ \- that he was fully prepared to fail - he wondered when the man was going to give up any time soon.

But this time was different. The Hokage seemed positive that Kakashi would pass this lot. He was smiling knowingly. That put Kakashi on edge a bit. He even promised to read the files he'd been given, just to try to see what the old Kage had seen in them.

Mizumi Hikari. He recognized her picture. She was the civilian girl from the orphanage two years ago.

She'd managed to gravely injure a Jonin level nuke shinobi, basically using his stolen weapon against him. If she hadn't had that much chakra, the Raijin never would have worked for her. She was extremely lucky. On top of it all, Aoi had completely left himself susceptible to attack by assuming he was safe. Who knew if the orphanage possibly had a child training to be a ninja?

Though the girl wasn't trying to be a ninja, she was simply trying to get healthy. But being the fastest child who had the best aim, helped her save a life.

She came without a fight and spoke respectfully. She knew how to address the Hokage. She seemed familiar with etiquette, which was a shock for an orphan who wasn't trained in the proper shinobi arts required for addressing officials and high ranking ninja.

She was rather calm, except when she found out Aoi had died of his injuries and had worried over being in trouble for it.

The Hokage was gentle as they spoke. They learned that she wanted be a ninja, but hadn't thought it possible because she wasn't a Konoha resident.

Eventually the Hokage granted her citizenship and awarded her with Aoi's possessions in return for defeating him. Thing like that happened often in the shinobi world. Once someone became a nuke ninja, their possession became property of the Kage or village leader. They then had the power to decide what to do with the belongings.

So she had been made a Konoha citizen and was ensured a place in the Academy.

He hadn't kept up with her progress or anything. He simply went back to his ninja life and pushed all knowledge of the odd orphan to the back of his mind.

But there he was, sitting in front of the Memorial Stone, looking over her file and being impressed with what he saw.

**Data of the Kunoichi:** _Mizumi Hikari._

**Birthday:** _November 18._

 **Age:** _12._

 **Hair:** _Black, long, usually held in a high ponytail. Brushes the back of her knees. Two long strips of hair on either side of her face._

 **Eyes:** _Black, no pupil._

 **Skin:** _Pale._

 **Height:** _147.32 cm_ **(A/N: 58 in.)**

 **Weight:** _40.82 Kg_ **(A/N: 90 lbs.)**

**Info:** _Began her time in the Academy in her fifth year. Started at the bottom as a new student and shot right to the top by the end of the first week._

**Academy History Quarter Exam 1:** _50 / 50 Questions. 10 points extra credit for knowing 10 extra Kekkei Genkai not primarily residing in Konoha._

 **Academy History Quarter Exam 2:** _50 / 50 Questions. 5 extra points for educating the class on Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki Clan._

 **Academy History Quarter Exam 3:** _50 / 50 Questions. 10 extra points for a diligent, argumentative essay over the pros and cons of making treaties with the other great shinobi nations._

 **Academy History Quarter Exam 4 GRADUATION FINAL:** _200 / 200 Questions. 10 extra points for being the first to break the Genjutsu placed on the test. Took ten seconds to realize something was wrong and stopped all the chakra in her body for three seconds, before continuing on._

**GENJUTSU FINAL:**

**Recognizing:** _2 / 5._

**Dispelling:** _2 / 5._

**Casting:** _0 / 5._

 **Notes:** _Cannot do Genjutsu at all. For some reason, she cannot envision anything good enough and it falls flat. Hates it with a passion._

**TAIJUTSU FINAL:**

**Reaction:** _100%_

 **Speed:** _Mid Chunin level at least._

 **Stances:** _100%_

 **Practical:** _Victory within 15 seconds._

 **Notes:** _Shocking amount of speed used to quickly get herself into her opponent's guard and allows her to attack and retreat without retaining injury. Defeated a Chunin opponent - who was fighting only at Genin level - in no time without issue._

**SHURIKENJUTSU FINAL:**

**Precision:** _Perfect._

**Center:** _10_ **First Ring:** _0_ **Second Ring:** _0_ **Not on the Dummy:** _0._

 **Notes:** _Did not need to pause to aim._

**NINJUTSU FINAL:**

**Henge:** _100%._

**Bunshin:** _100%._

**Kawarimi:** _100%._

 **Notes:** _Flawless execution of all three. Can do a Henge but not a Genjutsu. Still cannot understand that._

**ATTITUDE FINAL:**

**Obedience:** _100%._

**Kindness:** _100%._

**Laziness:** _0%._

 **Cooperation:** _100%._

 **Notes:** _Does not allow anyone in the class to be left out. Proven by befriending one Uzumaki Naruto and tutoring him._

**STATISTICS:**

**Ninjutsu:** _4_

 **Taijutsu:** _3_

 **Genjutsu:** _.5_

**Intelligence:** _4.5_

**Strength:** _2_

**Speed:** _4_

**Stamina:** _2.5_

 **Hand Seals:** _3_

 **Total:** _23.5_

_**Notes:** Practices Kenjutsu to make up for poor Genjutsu. Intuitive. Do not underestimate her. Graduated Top Kunoichi._

Kakashi looked up at the cloudy sky after all of that. She had the stats of a prodigy. One point more than what Kakashi had when he was a _Chunin_. If only she had been found earlier, her contribution to the ninja force would have been greater. But they'd have to deal with her now and hope for the best.

Since he had a strong feeling that her team would fail, he'd do her a favor and look into getting her apprenticed to someone. Talent like that should not be wasted simply because others refused to work together and the files said 'intuitive' and she had a perfect score in cooperation. She should be fine.

He flipped through the other two.

Uchiha Sasuke.

He was the Rookie of the Year. Had good grades in History. Good Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Bad Genjutsu like Hikari. Pretty good Shurikenjutsu. Had no cooperation, kindness, or obedience skills. They were his worst grades. Loner with no friends as listed in the worries of the Chunin examiner.

Nothing too remarkable to note for a Rookie of the Year. He had a total of 18.5 points overall in statistics. Severely below the Top Kunoichi, but pretty well compared to the other students.

Kakashi moved into his last 'student'. Uzumaki Naruto.

There was a note about how his association with Mizumi Hikari had shown in his rising grades.

For his three Quarterly tests, his amount of correct answers had risen and yet on the FINAL, his grade was terrible. He following grades in everything else except Ninjutsu, were terrible. Kakashi had to read over his stats twice just to got it all.

'Too lazy' and 'no drive'? How could his grades have shot up and suddenly gone down?

Kakashi suspected foul play. Who had graded Uzumaki in the finals? He was also certain that the boy was blonde, not a redhead.

Kakashi sighed.

Uzumaki came out at 14.5 points altogether. That was terrible, even for a dead last of the class.

So he had the 'last Uchiha' who wasn't so good, the 'Yondaime's 'Legacy'' who actually couldn't be _that_ bad, hopefully, and the 'Top Kunoichi', whose stats matched that of a seasoned ninja already. How would this go? The file said Uzumaki and Mizumi were friends, but what about the Uchiha who sounded like a loner? How would he feel knowing a girl was better than him? Because he was an Uchiha… and Uchiha didn't like to be beaten.

* * *

His team was seriously odd. Not what he had expected. The files had to be wrong. For the boys anyway. Mizumi's seemed pretty spot on. Except he could feel her chakra levels and they had increased.

Uzumaki was in the know about his mother and his clan. He also seemed very smart, compared to what his file described him as. Still bubbly and energetic though. Very Obito like. It made Kakashi sad.

The Uchiha was also different. He actually shared likes and dislikes with his teammates. He didn't sound like a emo kid, and he was training to kill someone. But apparently a truth had to be revealed first and the revelation would choose the person who would die by his hand.

Mizumi was the most open…

…

…

…

…

…

Very open.

He just about fainted when she admitted outright to wanting a harem. She was twelve years old, just starting off as a ninja and she had having her own harem, as her dream in life. Her goal in order to have one was to reach Jonin rank first.

He didn't know if she was a fellow pervert or if she was simply making things up, but by the look on her face, she was dead serious.

Harem? Twelve year old aiming for a harem. There was something wrong with that.

And the fact that her teammates seemed insulted that she hadn't considered them, was just a humorous bonus.

And so came the next day, and he was shocked.

They got the bells.

And displayed high level ability that definitely weren't Genin level. Who taught them?!

And that was where Kakashi was left astounded.

Sasuke already had his Sharingan and had a deep mastery of many C-Rank Katon Jutsu. He could Tree and Water Walk already.

Naruto knew he was the Kyubi Jinchuuriki and so did his team. He knew the Kage Bunshin and several C-Ranked Futon Jutsu. He could also Tree and Water Walk.

Hikari was one of Orochimaru's experiments and could utilize Mokuton. She could Tree and Water Walk and knew many Suiton and Doton Jutsu that varied in strength.

All three could Water and Tree Walk. All three knew their chakra nature and did the training to master them. All three had summoning contracts. All three gave up Genjutsu because they couldn't be bothered. All three manipulated their way into being on a team. All three lived together already.

Kakashi had never been so astounded in his life.

He passed them. They had done the requirement. Used teamwork. And they had managed to impress him.

So he decided to begin their training by gauging their skills. All were Chunin level already. So with the assistance of Tenzo -who was Hikari's other sensei - they upped the training level to Chunin.

And then came the missions. Nearly every C-Rank they went on got bumped up in rank. How many Genin managed to survive A and B ranks after only just graduating? It was impressive. And they didn't brag about it to the other new Genin. They simply stayed home on their free days and trained. Met up with him, trained some more, went back home and trained again.

Hikari was like a taskmaster. She kept coming up with all sorts of chakra control exercises for them to work on, since both boys didn't have great control. She also had new ideas for team formations too.

And then Kakashi learned of her other… ability.

It was… unnerving to know that someone had so much information on him. But he felt he could trust her. Besides, she knew things about everyone, and didn't go spilling their secrets to the nearest person. In fact, seeing so much about people had to be quite a burden.

And she simply used the extra knowledge to find more information about training and such. That would explain how she knew about Water and Tree Walking and how to train the elemental affinities.

Kakashi didn't have to go through the annoying D-Rank months that the other Jonin sensei had to go through. He also didn't have to sit by 'patiently' waiting for them to master certain chakra control exercises because they had already done it for him!

It was like a boon from the Kami themselves!

Kakashi simply got right into the first part of training.

And it helped. Their first kills, weren't as bad as he believed they'd be. Hikari had educated them on not looking their enemies in the eyes when killing. Many made that very mistake. But no, the boys listened to her every word. One would think the Uchiha was the leader of the squad, or that Naruto would demand to be in leading position - since he wanted to be the Hokage - but no. Hikari was in the lead. She called all the shots and the boy's listened to her without a doubt.

They worked well together and Kakashi was relieved. Naruto was a good ninja and didn't seem to hold the village's resentment for him, against them. Sasuke wasn't a loner - that much - and he actually participated in teasing and joking with his friends. Hikari was like a glue that kept them together.

Kakashi didn't necessarily _brag_ to his fellows - he was too good for that after all - but he did make sure that his team had set the record for several mission types. The record board in the Mission Assignment Hall had Team Seven at the top for most D and C-Rank types. Having a team with summons that could hunt down the demon cat and a pupil who could create a thousand clones of himself truly helped. And whenever asked, Kakashi simply said he was blessed with much talent. Let the jealousy build.

Kakashi felt no qualms about adding them to the Chunin Exams. They were ready. Though he knew that if all of them got promoted, their time as a team would be over soon. Though of course a team with rapport like their own would most likely be teamed up for major missions in the future, but most likely not with Kakashi.

It was… sad.

Kakashi actually liked his Genin. They understood the deeper meaning to things, which was rare in Genin. Most had grand delusions of what being a ninja meant. Most thought it was all princess rescuing and that was certainly not the case. Life as a shinobi was dangerous and Team Seven understood that very well, all having been through or at least knew of traumatic experiences that helped shape them into the young people they were.

It would be sad once they were split apart. He didn't know how he'd deal with it.

So when Naruto approached him with a camera and asked him to - as secretly as he could - take photos of their team, he did it. For the memories at least. The good times. He hadn't participated much in Minato-sensei's photos, but he could do his best with his own team.

The day they entered the Chunin Exams, was the day the everything went to hell.

Orochimaru was in the village and after one of _his_ kids. And after getting the Hokage and Tsunade-sama, they rushed on over to assist the Anbu, to find his team alive and mostly well. Though Hikari was in the middle of releasing the Kyubi's hold on Naruto. The important matter was that they were safe.

Once the threat had been thoroughly taken care of, Kakashi was able to go to his team and see how they were doing.

They continued on and won their preliminary matches within seconds of them beginning. Asuma and Kurenai stared at him in wonder. Gai proclaimed that he was going to train his team to beat Kakashi''s. Kakashi saw potential in Gai's team and considered the positives of their teams training together. Hikari needed to work on her Taijutsu after all.

So before they had a team meeting with the Hokage and all important shinobi involved, he decided to loosen them up. And regretted it when Hikari became a kissing fiend.

Though Sasuke didn't seem to mind at first.

Until Hikari went after the Hyuga she was 'friends' with. And then Sasuke was completely pissed.

When Hikari proceeded to beat an Anbu operative for grabbing her, Sasuke wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her and the Hyuga had both her feet while Rock Lee grabbed her hands. It was… humorous.

And it also gave him ammunition to use against the Uchiha for the next month of training, because he got a photograph of it.

Yeah, he was proud of his team.

**(Songs I listened to on a loop while writing this piece…** _**Everything I Do(I Do It For You)** _ **\- Bryan Adams.** _**When You Say Nothing at All** _ **\- Alison Krauss.** _**I Need a Doctor** _ **\- Eminem.** _**Little Bitty** _ **\- Alan Jackson.** _**Get Back** _ **\- Ludacris.** _**Goodbye** _ **\- Kristinia DeBarge. _Centuries_ \- Fall Out Boy. _Crayon_ \- G-Dragon.)**

* * *

**Omake Sakura: Not Weak!**

Haruno had always had a large forehead compared to everyone else she saw. Of course the way her hair grew made it worse.

Her mom said it would get better when she started at the Academy. There were bound to be children there from clans who had special abilities that made them different and disliked. But Sakura was pretty much ignored for the most part, except for a choice few who teased her for her forehead and her hair color.

And then Ino stuck up for her. Sakura never had that happen before, so it was a big shock. And she clung to Ino like a shadow, not wanting to lose that one person who was nice to her.

And then came Sasuke.

He was… to put it simply, cute. And the best student in their year. Sakura hadn't cared about being part of large clan. She cared that he was smart, good at school, and looked super cute. And he was so distant that it just screamed an inner desire for companionship! She could give that!

But she knew deep down that Sasuke didn't acknowledge her or any of the other girls in his fan club. He ignored their existence and rolled his eyes whenever they came around. But still, they all blindly flocked to him in hopes that one would catch his eye.

Sakura and Ino's friendship dwindled over their competition to win Sasuke's attention. Soon, Sakura's shyness melted away and she became a fierce competitor over Sasuke heart. But at a cost. Ino couldn't stand her any longer and Sakura was always so hyped up that she assumed she felt the same in return.

That was not the case. It took a new student to beat Sakura for her to begin to see it.

Mizumi Hikari was good. At everything. At least, it looked like she was. She was also nice to everyone to an extent, unless they were mean to Naruto. Then she would glare until they felt too uncomfortable and would leave.

It had been a shock to get a new student so suddenly. And then when she was better. Better than everyone in the class. Better than even Sasuke was! She took the Top Kunoichi position from Sakura and remained there for the rest of the year. She even knew things that the other students didn't know.

It was a shock, to see her choose Naruto of all people, as her friend. It was an even bigger shock to learn that Naruto was the last of a clan. A clan that wasn't taught in the Academy, even though they had been long friends of Konohagakure. And then Naruto's grades were going up! His ranking in the class was somewhere around middle work. He was no longer the dobe!

It was so much in so little time. And Sakura simply watched it happening and yet did nothing. She didn't try to take back her spot as the Top Kunoichi. She simply watched as Mizumi Hikari rose and remained.

Maybe if she had done something, she wouldn't have been abandoned by her teammates during their 'survival training'. Maybe if she knew more, she wouldn't have been told to return to the Academy.

But then one fateful day in August, Hikari knocked on her door and changed her life around.

Sakura learned the basics of medical Ninjutsu and was apprenticed to one of the Sannin in the course of a day! How many people were that lucky?!

All because Hikari thought he could be something big. Someone who could participate in the welfare of the village and help people. Hikari was blunt and honest, but it was refreshing. Sakura could see things clearly now.

She compared herself and even Ino to Hikari and found so many differences. Hikari was good. Sakura and Ino… weren't. Simple.

Sakura wanted to be like Hikari. She wanted to have friends she cared for and who returned the feelings.

It was embarrassing to hear about how the Official Club of Uchiha Sasuke had possibly turned him gay. He had never paid them any attention and now she knew why. He was busy training and getting stronger. And they really may have ruined his future plans for his clan.

Hikari had been right. Hikari was always right, she realized.

Sakura had a good friend and then lost her, over a guy. A guy who didn't care about either of them.

Sakura needed to clean her act up and Hikari gave her a way to do that. Maybe when she was stronger, she could think of marriage and boys.

But for now, Sakura had a shishou and a friend to make proud. She had to do well. She had to prove herself.

Tsunade-sama was hard. She didn't relent when they trained. She didn't go easy. She gave orders and expected Sakura to adapt to the situation with said orders.

Sakura advanced in med Ninjutsu thanks to her chakra control. Her Taijutsu ability was getting better. She wasn't so fast, that was true. But she was getting the chakra application that Tsunade-sama had invented. She could punch craters into the ground now. That was awesome.

And then Hikari came around with chakra control exercises for her to do, dropping hints over jutsu she could possibly create. The best thing was, she wouldn't need need a lightning affinity in order to do it. Because she could branch it to other things as well.

Kaminari Panchi was the most dangerous of them. At least Sakura had thought so. Of course Hono no Panchi could probably burn her opponent to death if it was strong enough and since Fire was her elemental affinity, it would be dangerous to use. And then Reito Panchi would probably be hardest to do, because Sakura didn't know much about Hyoton.

But she was determined to learn all of them!

She managed the Kaminari Panchi by the Chunin Exams. She actually got to compete too! And it was all because of Hikari!

Sakura was a better ninja. She knew it, but she wasn't there yet. She had a long time to go before she would be a major threat. But she was glad to prove herself to her former classmates that she had worked hard to get to where she was. Losing to Haku didn't feel so bad. And she learned how to knock someone into a death like trance for several days. It was a win-win situation for her.

Sakura looked out the window of the hospital and smiled. Things were looking up.

"Sakura-chan! The patient in room 402 needs help!"

She turned and grinned to the floor manager, "Coming, Aome-san!"

Only thing left, was to get Ino to straighten herself out. Perhaps Hikari could help her too.

**(Songs I listened to on a loop while writing this piece…** _**Crash Your Party** _ **\- Karmin.** _**Sexy** _ **\- French Affair.** _**My Humps** _ **\- Black Eyed Peas.** _**The Real Slim Shady** _ **\- Eminem.** _**The Fourth Drink Instinct** _ **\- Cute Is What We Aim For.)**

* * *

**Omake Gaara: Madness of the Monster.**

He was a monster. He'd been born a monster, just as everyone had said. His father hated him. His brother and sister hated him. Yashamaru - whom he thought was on his side - turned out to hate him too. Gaara was alone, and he preferred it that way, because he didn't need people.

Friends and family were for the weak. Those who needed to rely on others in order to survive, were weak. He was the only strong one. And he had to remain strong.

The madness. It was different. Better and worse. He couldn't sleep, but he didn't want to. Dreaming was for fools. But Gaara didn't like the pain that came from sleeping. His lungs burned for air. His mind cried for release. Mother demanded blood. Mother tore everything apart.

Gaara did as ordered, simply because at the time, it gave him what he needed to make mother complacent. He'd have killed his 'father' years ago, if the man hadn't sent him on missions specifically to pacify mother.

Gaara had no trouble killing. He practically bathed in blood from a young age. Now he was good enough to slaughter without getting messy. But mother had wanted him to drown in blood. Gaara didn't like have to constantly get clean because of it. It was the only thing he fought mother on, and she punished him always.

Gaara watched in disgust as his 'father' patted Temari and Kankuro on the shoulders, completely ignoring Gaara's existence. But Gaara existed. And he proved it often. All the time. By tearing his enemies down. By spilling the blood of the weak.

They were to go to Konoha. Chunin Exams in order to move up in rank. Getting a feel for the village hidden in the leaves. Using Gaara as the monstrous weapon he was born as to decimate Konoha in the upcoming invasion.

Fools.

Assuming that Gaara would bend to their demands. Perhaps he'd be able to kill Temari and Kankuro during the exams. Regulation would allow it and his precious 'father' could do nothing about it. Yes, that was a plan.

So he went without fuss. And he met the most confusing people ever.

And the dark one. The female dark one at least. She was different. She had skill. Power. He could feel it from several meters away. And then she did something he never considered before.

She touched him.

He didn't know enough of human contact to place the sort of touch, but he knew it was something only people who trusted each other, would do. He was so shocked. She was faster than his sand. She could hurt him. Kill him! She could be a great danger to his existence. And yet the sand didn't react to her at all. Mother was silent. Why? If she could touch him, she could kill him without him knowing. He should kill her. Why didn't the blood-lust come? Where was mother? Why was this so confusing?

He stared down at the girl, realizing that he was holding her in place.

She wasn't worried. She wasn't scared. Why? Did she not know what he was? Did she not see the monster he was? He was a demon. He was the sort that people ran from. He made the most seasoned of Jonin cower in fear. But why not some Genin girl of the Leaf?

And then she was gone and Gaara was left in silence. His own mind was quiet. Why was it quiet?

He was left to this new predicament, unable to understand where mother had gone.

What was he to do?

All through the exam, he was quiet. Basking in this odd silence that the dark girl had brought upon him. His lungs were fine. His body wasn't so tired.

She interfered in his match. He was simply seeing if maybe crushing his enemy would awaken mother. But she was there again.

And he knew what she was doing this time. He had forced the answer from Temari days previous.

She was doing it again. To him. To a monster. Why?

He decided to get answers and they were satisfactory at best.

She was not afraid of him, but she knew what he was. She _knew_ somehow! And she was more terrified of suffocating instead of the monster she had pressed herself against.

This was confusing.

He needed more information.

And mother was still unresponsive.

**(Songs I listened to on a loop while writing this piece...** _**Domino** _ **\- Jessie J.** _**L.O.V.E.** _ **\- Ashlee Simpson. - so fucking convenient! ;).** _**Do What You Want** _ **\- Lady Gaga.** _**Listen** _ **\- Beyonce. _The Boys_ \- Girl's Generation.)**

* * *

**A/N: Another one is finished.**

 

**How was it? Let me know!**

**Ja ne! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS WAS FOR dragonlily22. A GUEST REVIEWERS WHO ASKED FOR ME TO... 'I have a request... If possible, will you please make a whole page omake on both Sasuke & Naruto's POV since the first time they met 'til the latest chapter? And if your up to it, add in Neji & Kakashi's as well.' I ADDED SAKURA AND GAARA FOR THE FUCK OF IT. SINCE I ALREADY HAVE CHAPTER 14 DONE AND HALF OF 15 DONE, I TOOK OFF 4 DAYS TO DO THIS OMAKE CHAPTER.
> 
> IT IS 65 PAGES LONG. 16,375 WORDS LONG. I TRIED REALLY HARD ON THIS. I HOPED YOU GUYS LIKED IT!
> 
> -You can find Kakashi's Chunin stats on Narutopedia in the Kakashi page. It's down in the trivia section.
> 
> -You can also find Naru's and Sasu's stats on the same site. They both toned it down to pass with the expectations people assumed. Both were actually much closer to Hikari's level than previously assumed. It was an act.
> 
> -If you thought the FINAL EXAM was to much, my senior HS year, I had a teacher who gave us a 216 question FINAL with 5 essay extras for extra credit. He gave us 45 minutes to do it. I got a 100% plus 14 points extra credit. It is possible to have tests that long and longer. He was an asshole.
> 
> -We saw into Naruto's mind to see the Kyubi from both Naru's and Sasu's POV.
> 
> -Check out the songs I listened to. They rock!

**Author's Note:**

> How was it?


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